Stout—Vegetation of a Typical Wild Hay Meadow. 439 
branching and flowering give a new aspect to those portions of 
the marsh in which they occur. 
Adaptations 
The adaptation of the plant members in so far as it affects 
their relations to each other and their consequent combinations 
in plant associations forms a most important phase of the 
study of such a population as we are considering. The vege¬ 
tation is almost entirely herbaceous and the majority of the 
species are perenials. 
The various species of Carex found, have, in general, a simi¬ 
lar and characteristic form 1 of growth, both in their under¬ 
ground and aerial portions. We may take as a type Carex 
siricta. In the ground there is a well developed root stock 
system. The wire like rootstocks grow about six inches below 
the moss layer and below the roots of many of such secondary 
species as may be present. The terminal buds turn up and de¬ 
velop aerial branches in the form of clumps of culms. By 
continued growth and branching from the bases of their culms 
a thick dense cluster of culms are produced. When a culm 
produces fruit it dies. Two types of growth and branching 
of rhizomes are thus to be distinguished. One for spreading 
and reaching new territory and the other for the immediate 
production of aerial culms. A root stock grows for a consid¬ 
erable distance, often to a length of more than a foot, then its 
terminal bud sends up aerial leaves and the formation of a tus¬ 
sock is begun. Further creeping rhizomes arise from the tus¬ 
sock and thus the two types of branching provide for vegetative 
spreading and for leaf and flower production. 
Two types of roots are developed. Long, cylindrical, mostly 
unbranched roots develop from the area of short compact inter¬ 
nodes at the base of the culms and push downward into the 
cold saturated peaty soil to a depth of six or eight inches. These 
are essentially soil roots. Fine fibrous roots also develop at the 
base of the culms but grow upward to the surface where they 
form a miass of finely divided rootlets. 
The various species differ in the number, size, and position 
