261 
above the snow line it was only the basal two or three buds, 
while a flowering shoot normally contains about a dozen flowers 
(6 to 19). ; 
One might say that it was natural for the outer parts of the 
Chamaedaphne to die back each year, but it was repeatedly 
observed both at First Sister Lake and at Mud Lake that long 
bent over steifis (sometimes 2 meters in length) which remained 
below the snow line were profusely flowered, while short stems 
(sometimes as short as 15 cm.) on hummocks in the center of 
clumps, which projected the greater part of their length above 
the snow, were uniformly killed back. 
Killing was probably due to too thorough drying out of the 
exposed parts and not to freezing. It may be doubtful whether 
actual freezing had taken place as the leaves and twigs, while 
attached to the bushes, remained pliable in the lowest tempera- 
tures tested ( — 24? C.), whereas the same twigs soon became 
brittle when severed from the plant. 
TABLE SHOWING THE RELATION OF SNOW LEVEL TO WINTER KILLING IN Chamae- 
daphne calyculata (L.) MOENCH 
(The first two examples are taken from data obtained at First Sister Lake and 
the others from Mud Lake bog. The first column under each example is the total 
parts of the plants above the snow level.) 
| | 
PATE ——— ne! ————| | 
| 1 "n s Mf Ner ov | VI vi 
| ee —— —L-— 
| Wind sweep| Snow | Snow 
tn. | Snow 56 cm.| Snow 65 cm. Snow 85 cm.| Snow 85 сву е сеш Sce. | ice 
es 
| 
Мо. % No. | я | No. | $ No. | Я | No. | $ |No.| $ |No| % 
wi es eh pie gene, кєз езу Em 
90-100 | 18 |roo| 32  roo| | cher cd 
80- 90 | 80 |00 149 134 |o] Or |7 mc 
10- 80 | 466 |92| 108 | 57| 97 о 90 | o 8 100182 о | то\тоо 
60- то | 317 |80| тоо | 50| 92 о 72 о 122 | 08| 31,0 |115 3 
50- 60 | IBT [27]. £15 17 — 9 Oo ME L3 —1 |224 о 
40— 50 | 168. |17 4 ж о | — ү Өк See | 85| О 
30— 40 | 212 21-130 Ap -= == p ees | |55 © 
20- 30 | — | — | ——À or 18| 0 
0— —— — | — — | | o-—— | ев ud 
The natural distribution of Chamaedaphne is northern and 
throughout its range it is usually efficiently protected from the 
drying effect of severe prolonged cold by a covering of snow. 
