32 
Ohio Naturalist. 
[Vol. 1, No. 3 
and the berries are thus shed at the same time. In the winter the 
plant is remarkable for the few branches left and it looks like an 
artificially pruned vine. 
The species observed belonging to this class are the following: 
Ampelopsis cordata Mx. 
“ tricuspidata Seib. & Zucc. 
Parthenocissus quinquefolia (L. ) Planch. 
The shedding of the twigs of woody plants may in many cases 
be entirely an adaptation to get rid of the leaves as in the case of the 
dwarf branches of Pines and the young twigs of Tamarisks. But 
even in the Tamarisks it is doubtful whether the joints formed in the 
older branches can be claimed to have such a purpose, since in this 
case the leaves have all been shed with the annual twigs. The 
shedding of the old woody branches may have a different purpose. 
In regard to the trees mentioned above, we think that the process is 
one primarily to rid the tree of surplus branches. This would man- 
ifestly be an advantage and would give room and opportunity for 
the development of many young leafy shoots every year without 
accumulating too great a mass of useless members. This is cer- 
tainly the case with the poplars and the willows. In no case do we 
think it admissible to say that the adaptation is primarily for the pur- 
pose of propagation, although this may be a very important in- 
cidental result in such plants as the willows when growing in wet 
places. In the case of Ampelopsis cordata, the only reasonable ex- 
planation seems to be a preparation for the winter condition, since 
the branches which are shed do not ripen and the plant has an ad- 
mirable method for shedding its leaves. The slender branches 
would be in great danger of being killed by the cold of winter. The 
shedding of the young branches of Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich, is 
remarkably like that in Tamarix. The slender, dwarf branches 
clothed with the leaves drop otf in the fall or the following spring. 
The habit must be quite ancient, as such branches of Taxodium 
distichum mioceuum Hr. are very abundantly preserved as fossils. 
In Taxodium mexicanum Carr, the dwarf branches are not shed 
until the second year. Glyptostrobus pendulus Endl. and G. hetero- 
phyllus Endl. also have deciduous dwarf branches. There are other 
conifers and no doubt many other angiospermous trees w T hich 
possess these interesting adaptations and by careful observations, no 
doubt many interesting ecological facts will be brought to light. 
