The Ohio Naturalist, Vol. II, No. 1, November, 1901Ohio State University. Biological Club
History
The Ohio Naturalist, Vol. II, No. 1, November, 1901
Ohio State University. Biological Club
Natural history -- Ohio -- Periodicals; Natural history -- Periodicals; Science -- Periodicals
The terms used in describing geophytes are in every day use, except
one—the crown. This term is applied to an herbaceous perennial which has
but one upright stalk the first year. This dies to the surface of the
ground at the end of the season, but the short, upright, underground
stem survives. It then sends up lateral branches, which in some cases
grow out several feet, in others only an inch or so before coming to the
surface. This branching, however, usually takes place in the Autumn and
often the entire crown of lateral branches is formed some time before
the parent plant is cut down by frost.
The following notes, and others, to be given later, are intended to
supplement the notes on Geophilous Plants of Ohio in the _O. S. U.
Naturalist_, 1:21:
Hypericum ascyron L. A large woody root, surmounted by a close crown.
Gentiana andrewsii Griseb. An oblique rhizome, about 2 in. long, with
numerous fleshy roots showing root contraction.
Corallorhiza odontorhiza (Willd.) Nutt. A small bulb, sending out the
coralloid roots from the base.
Lespedeza frutescens (L.) Britton. A long woody tap root, surmounted by
a close crown.
Lespedeza procumbens Michx. A close crownformer.
Lespedeza violacea (L.) Pars. A long tap-root and close crown, sending
up from 10 to 20 annual shoots.
Lespedeza hirta (L.) Ell. A crownformer.
Meibomia pauciflora (Nutt.) Kuntze. A rhizomatous crownformer. The
rhizomes are slender, a foot or more in length, and branching. At the
point of emergence there is usually a cluster of annual stems.
Thalictrum purpurascens L. A crownformer.
Coreopsis tripteria L. Rhizome composed of annual segments which are
about 1 inch in length.
Epigaea repens L. Rhizomes long and slender, close to the surface of the
ground.
Cypripedium acaule Ait. Rhizome 2 or 3 in. long, sending out numerous
strong roots. The annual growth in length is very small. In one specimen
examined the growth of four years amounted to only 6 lines.
Waldsteinia fragarioides (Michx.) Tratt. Rhizome 4 to 12 in. long,
slender. Lateral branches numerous.
Plantago cordata Lam. An oblique rhizome of unique habit. The rhizomes
of large plants are ½ to ¾ in. thick, and are solid for 2 or 3 in., but
back of this the center rots away, leaving a shell which splits up to
the base. In small plants it splits but once, forming a flat or slightly
incurved ribbon. This becomes rounded, and seems to perform the function
of a root. It, however, dies off gradually at the posterior parts. In
fig. 1 the split portion is still united near the middle of one of the
specimens, and a portion of the posterior end is dead. The root-like
portion of the rhizome is much longer than the true rhizome.
Plantago rugellii Dec. A short, upright rhizome.
Plantago major L. A short, upright rhizome.
Lobelia syphilitica L. A close crownformer.
Geum canadense Jacq. A short, horizontal rhizome.
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