95 



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earliest stage as germinating plantlets until they have attained 

 an older state, or even full-grown ag:e. It was a collection 



of material that was in the hands of the author, and it was 

 thought the opportunity ought not to be neglected to present 

 these contributions to the knowledge of the germination of 

 some of our native plants. And even if several other species 

 might have shown facts of greater interest than those 

 described here, we must recall the fact that the number 

 of plants taken from our flora, that have been described from 

 their germination, is exceedingly small. The whole series 

 of germinating plantlets, presented above, show several 

 characters, so that genera and species of the same family are 

 to be distinguished from each other in their very earliest 

 stage. We see for instance, Anemone thalictroides differing 

 from most of the other species of this genus by its tuberous 

 roots, which are already developed in the first year. The 

 two species of Ranunculus, R, abortivus and R. recurvatns differ 

 from each other by the shape of the cotyledons, short or 

 long-petioled, and by the form o{ the first leaf. Delphiniujn 

 midicaule shows a relatively rare manner of germination in 

 comparison with other species of that genus. The germinat- 

 ing plantlets of Sarracenia and Dioncea are so characteristic 

 that they might easily be distinguished from any other plants, 

 when merely the first leaf is visible. There is probably no 

 genus of the PapaveracccX which germinates \n the same 

 manner as shown for Sanguinaria, with the cotyledons deeply 

 under ground, and with a tuberous hypocotyl. yiola pal- 

 mata, var. gtcullata, has some relatives in regard to the devel- 

 opment of the young rhizome, but is, however, different from 

 most o{ the; other species of Viola. The two species of 

 Lespedeza are easily distinguished from each other by the 

 foliage alone during the germination. And even among the 



Umbellifer^e some characters are to be observed that enable 

 us to distinguish them at that early stage. The two species 

 of TJiaspium differ in the shape of their first developed leaves ; 

 Ojinorrhi:::a is characterized at an early stage by its dimor- 

 phous leaves, and Sanicnla by the early fading of the primary 

 root, together with its relatively broad cotyledons. Aralia 



