CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE BIOLOGY OF RHIZOBIA. 
IV: TWO COAST RHIZOBIA OF VANCOUVER 
ISLAND, B. C.? 
ALBERT SCHNEIDER. 
(WITH THREE FIGURES) 
LEcuMINoUs plants are comparatively rare on Vancouver Island. 
Two species, beach vetch (Lathyrus maritimus Bigel.) and beach clover 
(Trijolium heterodon Gray), were more carefully examined with 
regard to root nodule formation and proved rather interesting. Of 
these two plants, the vetch is by far the more common and more 
widely distributed. It is creeping, climbing, and spreading in habit, 
thus being endowed with certain advantages in the struggle for exist- 
ence. It climbs upon and spreads over the smaller and less fortunate 
herbs, thus gaining access to the desirable air and sunlight. The 
beach clover, in common with the majority of clovers, was originally 
adapted to the sunlit open ground, but the tree vegetation of the island 
has compelled it to occupy an extreme shore position. In the struggle 
for existence it has evolved into a hardy persistent plant, clinging 
tenaciously to the scant soil in the crevices of rocky shore slopes, 
approaching the high tide mark. During the often prolonged heavy 
inland winds of the winter months, these plants are thoroughly 
drenched by the salt waves and salt spray without suffering any 
inconvenience whatever. In appearance beach clover is not unlike 
our familiar white clover (T. repens); the plants however are larger, 
and the flowers are larger and more showy. | 
The roots of both plants were well supplied with rhizobia-bearing 
nodules. Sections were made of these and examined microscopically. 
In the case of beach clover the rhizobia presented the general morpho- 
logical characteristics of those found in the nodules of red and white 
Clover (fig. x ). That is, they were of the very characteristic Indian 
Club form, with very distinct bodies described by some as granules 
one The work here recorded was done at the Minnesota Seaside Station, session of 
1905] 138 
