10 THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 



parasitism. It is parasitic, too. on decaying matter, a Sapro- 

 phyte. Its very tastes have been deteriorated. Still this plant 

 is. in its way, very beautiful. \\''alking through some dense, 

 dark wood, the saunterer alights upon a group of these snow- 

 white plants. The foliage is represented by abortive scales, 

 their arrangement showing that thev are reallv leaves. The 

 pretty flower nods on its stem until such time as it goes to seed. 

 \\ hen it becomes erect. At first white, it eventually assumes a 

 black color, when it is know n as the "corpse-plant." The com- 

 mon species has but one flower on a stem, but another, not so 

 common, yellowish or orange in color, produces a cluster. 

 They are severally known as Monotropa unifiora and M. hy- 

 popitys. 



Quite like these "pipes" though belonging to a different 

 family, are the beech-drops that spring up from the roots of 

 beech trees. They belong to the broom-rape family in which 

 in May we find the cancer-root, Aphyllou imiHonan, and less 

 commonly the very singular Conopholis or "squaw-root." 

 Much as I have tramped the woods in the last forty years, I 

 have never until this season seen the latter. It was brought to 

 me from my own stamping ground, as it were, by an obsen^ant 

 young graduate of Radcliff. It grows in oak woods among 

 fallen leaves and is "as thick as a man's thumb," covered with 

 fleshy scales which later become hardened. In all these broom- 

 rapes there is a gamopetalous, two lipped, ringent corolla, per- 

 sistent and withering. They are not without a certain odd at- 

 tractiveness, especially Aphyllou which is purple or yellow in 

 hue. It has a wide range from Newfoundland to Texas and the 

 Pacific. 



Certain orchids, as the coral-roots, have this same fungoid 

 appearance and habit, and fail to develop leaves. Some of them 

 are ex'ceedingly pretty. There are quite a number of species. 

 Then, there are the dodders. Cuscuta, of the morning-glory 

 family; true parasites, that do not possess even the rudiments 



