Experiments on Absorption of Salt-Marsh Plants. 137 
Effect of Immersion in Salt Solution on Some 
Non-Halophytic Plants. 
Non-halophytic plants similarily treated and immersed in a 3% 
sodium chloride solution lost instead of gained in weight. This is 
no doubt due to the fact that water passes out from the cells of the 
plant into the solution, since the osmotic pressure of their cell-sap 
is less than that of the salt solution. 
Some mesophytic seedlings, Chenopodium sp., were exposed to 
air till slightly flagged, and then immersed overnight, some in 
distilled water and others in a 3 % sodium chloride solution. Those 
in water increased in weight while those in the salt solution decreased 
in weight. 
Leaves of Primula, Tradescantia and Myriophyllum were also 
found to decrease in weight when immersed for 3—4 hours in a 3% 
sodium chloride solution. 
On examination of the tables given it will be seen that there is 
a great variation in the results obtained from different plants in all 
the experiments. The reason of this variation is not known, for the 
plants experimented with were all treated alike, and as far as 
possible similar plants were used for any one experiment. So far as 
can be seen the amount of water absorbed does not depend on the 
amount of water in the plant,—or on the percentage of water 
present. It may be that the amount absorbed depends on the 
surface area of the plant, but unfortunately in these experiments no 
measurements of surface area were taken. Also, the variations in 
the amount of water absorbed may correspond to variations of 
osmotic pressure in the cell-sap, but no osmotic pressure 
estimations were made on these plants. 
Results. 
In spite, however, of the variation of the figures given in the 
tables, from their consideration the following results may be 
deduced :— 
1. Plants of Salicornia can absorb water through their 
epidermal cells from distilled water and from a 3% solution of 
sodium chloride. The amount absorbed varies with individual 
plants and is greater from distilled water than from the salt 
solution (Tables III, VII and VIII). 
2. The amount of water absorbed is greatly increased if, before 
immersion, the plants are allowed to transpire without being able 
to obtain any water by root-absorption. Plants so treated usually 
absorb more water when they are first immersed than afterwards. 
