14 
Newcombe, Sensitive Life of Asparagus plumosus, 
above ground in slow succession shoot after shoot, tbe first rising 
a little higher than the seedling shoot, and each higher than its 
predecessor. These shoots turn their tips to the horizontal, and 
subsequently the branches begin nnfolding. Unlike the behavior 
of similar members in seedlings, the branches on these shoots front 
the rhizomes unfold io the horizontal plane, and the needles, instead 
of radiating in all directions from their origin as in seedlings, 
radiate within the strict liraits of the horizontal plane, giving to 
this horizontal part the appearance of having bcen in a plant-press. 
Of assimilating leaves, the plant produces none. The function of 
carbon-assimilation is assumed by all aerial parts of the plant except 
the rudimentary leaves, but chiefly by the last Order of branches 
which are needles growing in clusters of 7 to 25, the needles 
being 3 to 7 mm in length and about 0.3 mm in diameter. The 
needles at the apex of the main axis are borne directly on this 
main axis, but, as one goes proximally, they are borne on branches 
of the Ist, 2d, 3 d, and 4th order. 
As this plant is seen in pots in houses, it presents only the 
appearance described above, and may attain a total length of not 
more than 30 to 60 cm even after the lapse of 3 years. The 
aerial shoots may live for 2 years at least, and thus there may 
persist from a single rhizome a half-dozen shoots, not differing 
greatly in hight, clustered near together, and all turning the apical 
8 to 20 cm over into the horizontal plane, and there dividing into 
hundreds of beautiful and delicate branches and needles, the 
branching being generally confined to the horizontal portion. 
If, however, a 2- or a 3-year-old plant be set out in un- 
confined earth, it soon begins "the formation of larger shoots. A 
shoot that rises to a hight of 40 to 60 cm nearly always begins 
circumnutation at that hight, and will twine, if a suitable support 
is offered. The tip bends from its formerly orthotropic course 45° 
to 180° or more, and describes in its movement a Circuit 4 to 
10 cm in diameter. Various tips, timed for periodicity when the 
temperature was 28°, were found to make their Circuit, some in 
2 hours, some in 8 hours, and others between these extremes. 
These twining shoots show all gradations of length between 
a half-meter and several meters. A twiner produces no lateral 
branches tili near the close of its elongation, and the first branches 
to develop are intermediate between the base and apex of the 
central axis. As the main axis is near the end of its growth, it 
reases to circumnutate, 10 cm more or less of the tip straightens 
out horizontally from its supporting cord or stäke, each node of 
this horizontal tip and of the stem below rapidly unfolds its branch, 
and we have a narrow spiral from which stand out in all directions 
the lateral branches as beautiful horizontal fronds, branching to 
the 4th or 5th order. An exception must be made to the last 
Statement: The lowermost nodes of the central axis produce no 
branches. This leaves the lower portion of the shoot for a distance 
of 30 to 50 cm bare, except for the stout nodal scales. 
