46 



copper wire. Rhizomes lo to 15 feet long are not uncommon, 

 and under favorable conditions may become very much longer. 

 The rhizome is more or less highly ramified — when soil conditions 

 are favorable the branches form an intricate, tough, close- 

 meshed network below the soil. The color is glossy dark chestnut 

 brown; the extreme terminal portions are tender and pale green. 

 The surface of the rhizome, although apparently smooth, upoij 

 close examination is found to be sparsely clad with short, brown, ' 

 shining, appressed hairs. On the younger portions these hairs 

 are arranged in star-like tufts. In texture all portions of the 

 rhizome except the growing tips are very tough, wiry, and bam- 

 boo-like; this is due to the abundant deposition of sclerenchy- 

 mous material in the cortical regions. C.'^-^^-^ cLL^ouyy>u^:\ 



In cross-section the rhizome shows a heavy, woody cortex, sur- 

 rounding a soft, pale green stele. A single axial bundle traverses 

 the rhizome, and is separated from the cortex by a distinct endo- 

 dermis. Within the latter is a pericycle of several layers of cells, 

 within which is a continuous zone of phloem, containing large 

 and small sieve-tubes and phloem parenchyma.* 



On the rhizome are four kinds of structures, in various stages 

 of development — branches of the rhizome; leaf-buds; leaves, 

 and roots. The roots are numerous and arise irregularly along 

 the rhizome, chiefly along its lower surface. They are short 

 (1-6 inches), sparingly branched, woody, and brown. The tips 

 of the larger roots are greenish or pale. 



The leaf-buds are also scattered irregularly along the rhizome; 

 on the average they are not more than 3 inches apart. The buds 

 are y^-yi inch long, slender, obtusely pointed, soft, tender, and 

 densely clad with brown hairs similar to those on the rhizome. 



The rhizome-branch buds are similar in appearance and dis- 

 tribution to the leaf-buds; they are not as numerous, however, 

 as the latter, and give rise to the branches of the rhizome. Their 

 growth plane is horizontal, while that of the leaf-buds is vertical. 



* See further G. Poirault, Rccherches d'histogenie vegetale. Developpement des 

 tissus dans les organes vegetifs des cryptogames vasculaires. Mem. de L'Acad- 

 imp. des sciences de St. P6tersbourg, ser. 7, t. 37, 1890. 



L. A. Boodle, On the Anatomy of the Glcicheniaceae, Annals of Botany 15: 

 703-747. 1901- 



