400 Boewig on the Histology and 



The plant may be said to consist only of stem and 

 branches, the leaves being scale-like and tiny. It forms an 

 abundant cordage around the stems and leaves of the host 

 plant. Very frequently the shoots coil tightly about each 

 other, forming ropes and mattings, and then frequently 

 parasitizing on each other. The internodes are long, but 

 the stems branch freely. Connection with the ground is 

 lost. The tangled mass is dotted over with short, thick 

 spikes of flowers, the spikes being half an inch to an inch 

 long, and the greenish white, sessile flowers three to four 

 mm. across. 



An exceptional feature of Cassytha is its apparently indis- 

 criminate selection of hosts. In the Palm Beach and Miami 

 neighborhood a great variety of plants were penetrated by it 

 and more or less injured. It attacks most commonly and 

 extensively the water oak ( Quercus aquatica) and the ever- 

 green oak (Q. vircns), both of which become at times com- 

 pletely and closely wreathed over to a height of six to ten 

 feet, young plants being partially or entirely destroyed. The 

 plant is most abundantly encountered over tracks of sandy 

 soil where scrub vegetation is fairly abundant. It may be 

 said to occur almost continuously over the southernmost 

 portion — 130 to 140 miles — of Florida. In some localities 

 it is somewhat local and irregularly distributed, as in the 

 neighborhood of Miami. In other localities, as round Palm 

 Beach, Neptune and St. Lucia, the plant is extremely abun- 

 dant, though so far as observed it does not seem as yet to 

 have become a troublesome infesting parasite to cultivated 

 plants. A partial list of its hosts is given : 



Pteris aquilina. Ceratiola ericoides. 



Zamia integrifolia. Litzia Caroliniana. 



Pinus (several species). Polygonella. 



Carex (near triangularis). Cassia sps. 



Smilax Walterii. Bumelia argentea. 



Blue Palmetto. Yellow Coriopsis. 



Two species of Quercus. 



