Effects of decapitation and treatment with indoleacetic acid (IAA) were studied in etiolated pea seedlings. The relationship between epicotyl swelling and bud growth inhibition was examined and found to be incomplete: concentrations of IAA which totally inhibit bud growth induce marked epicotyl swelling, but a lower concentration (5 p.p.m.) was shown to induce swelling without affecting bud growth. Swelling is a result of a change in polarity of cell expansion; the time of this change was unaffected by increasing the IAA concentration. Large increases in fresh and dry weight accompany the swelling.In mature (non-swelling) epicotyls treated with IAA, this substance tends to prevent the loss of reducing sugars brought about by decapitation. It is suggested that decapitation and IAA application affect the nutritional status of the epicotyl, and that this effect must be considered in constructing hypotheses dealing with apical dominance.