Arctic Plants: Morphology and Synonymy 21 b 



POLYGONACEAE. 



Polygonum viviparum L. 



Some tall specimens from Camden bay measure in height 16 cm. The 

 subterranean stem is a short, but thick, horizontal rhizome with the internodes 

 extremely short; towards the apex the rhizome is more or less bent so as to form 

 a knee; no stolons are developed, and thin, secondary roots proceed from the 

 rhizome. Characteristic of the species is the development of bulblets in the 

 inflorescence; they have been described by Areschoug.' These bulblets consist 

 of a tuberous axis of two internodes, and the leaves are membranaceous, sheath- 

 ing; at the apex of the bulblet is a terminal bud enclosed within membranaceous 

 leaves, mostly three. When the bulblet falls off a green leaf appears and second- 

 ary roots develop from the tuberous internode. These bulblets thus form new 

 individuals and constitute an important means for distributing the plant over a 

 larger area since, as mentioned above, there are no stolons. 



P. Bistorta L. 



Hjalmar Nilsson ^ has described the structure of the rhizome which accord- 

 ing to this author represents a monopodium with a terminal, vegetative bud, 

 and with the flower-bearing stem developed in the axil of one of the green leaves. 

 The rhizome resembles that of the preceding species but it is stoloniferous and, 

 on the other .hand, no bulblets are developed in the inflorescence. The speci- 

 mens collected measured a height of about 18 cm., including the inflorescence 

 with the flowers well developed. 



Rutnex arcticiis Trautv. 



Several specimens were collected with flowers and mature fruit; the 

 height of a fruiting specimen from Bathurst inlet measured 40 cm., the stem 

 being 12 cm., while the large inflorescence was 28 cm. The subterranean stem 

 represents a very condensed pseudo-rhizome borne upon a deep, thick tap-root; 

 beside that, long and quite thick secondary roots develop from the subterranean 

 internodes. Green leaves are quite numerous, forming a rosette. 



Oxyria digyna (L.) Hill. 



In this plant the aerial shoot represents a rosette of leaves with the flower- 

 bearing stems apparently lateral. With respect to the subterranean organs 

 there is a deep but relatively slender primary root which persists for several 

 years; from the crown of the root several erect or ascending stems are developed; 

 they are densely covered with remnants of leaves and the internodes are very 

 short. From these subterranean stem-portions stolons develop (Fig. E); they 

 are covered with tubular leaves but the internodes are often quite distinct, and 

 secondary roots proceed from the nodi. The specimen figured represents a case 

 of the aerial shoot being developed from a stolon, beside that a young stolon of 

 second order has developed from the ascending, subterranean stem. Most of 

 the specimens collected were of this type, developed from stolons, and only a 

 very few were seedlings with the primary root present. 



CARYOPHYLLACEAE. 



Lychnis [Tourn.] L. sectio Wahlbergella Fries. 



As a genus Wahlbergella was established by Elias Fries ^ and distinguished 

 by the ovary being unicellular, the valves of the capsule bifid, and the seeds 

 winged; the genus was placed between Viscaria and Melandrium. 



1 Bidrag till Groddknopparnas Morfologi och Biologi. Lund, 1857, p. 23. Tab. VII, fig. 16. 



2 Dikotyla jordstammar. Acta Univ. Lund.xix; Lund, 1882-83. 



3 Botaniska Notiser. LuDd 1843, p. 143. 



