32 



STUDIES IN THE VEGETATION OF THE STATE 



Variable Water Content in Plants and Soil. 



Atriplex argentea (stem stage). 



(xerophytic. ) 



The data given in the preceding table were obtained from 

 plants thought to be dying, the determination being made 

 at a time when all the plant's aerial organs appeared to be 

 either dying or dead. The per cent of water in a dying 

 plant as well as in a living growing plant varied with the 

 vegetative stage and age of the plant, depending on whether 

 it is a seedling, a rosette, a stem, or a fruiting plant. The 

 first in the series has the highest and the last the lowest 

 per cent of water. Again the amount of water in a dying 

 plant may depend upon the variation of the nature of the 

 tissues in different species, ranging from succulents with the 

 greatest per cent of water in their tissues to woody plants 

 containing the least. 



The following table indicates the effect of different physi- 

 cal stimuli during the lifetime of the plant upon the relative 



