1 1 6 Smith on Structure and Parasitism 



plant. Koch states that the large amount of starch stored 

 up in a young plant immediately after germination, is to insure 

 it against starvation in case the host perishes. But starch is 

 present in great quantities when the seeds are nearly or quite 

 ripe, and it is passed into the soil with decay of the plant. 

 It can scarcely be wholly to insure a supply for the endosperm, 

 for the amount stored there is infinitesimal compared to that 

 in the entire plant. Further, the conditions of germination 

 preclude the possibility that the starch is present in order that 

 the seeds ma}- find a rich nidus in the decaying parent plant. 



Bract-Leaves. 



The bract-leaves are thick at the base, gradually thin out 

 at the top, and are closely appressed to the stem. The epi- 

 dermal cells are small and flattened. The mesophyll is packed 

 with starch, and is supported by a few strands of bundle- 

 tissue, which enters the bract as one strand, and quickly sub- 

 divides. The tips of these leaves are very sHghtly trifid, a 

 fact that perhaps points to a three-lobed ancestral leaf. The 

 lower bract-leaves differ markedly from the upper. The 

 lower ones have neither stomata nor hairs. The upper ones 

 have numerous stomata on the free outer (morphologically 

 under) surface, and the tips and outer surfaces are clothed 

 with multicellular, capitate hairs. Between these two extremes, 

 selecting a plant with five leaves, there are transitional stages. 



The Flower. 



The flower is irregular, produces a five -parted calyx, a five- 

 parted bilabiate corolla, four epipetalous stamens, and a superior 

 bicarpellate ovary. Bracteoles are absent. The calyx is 

 almost or quite regular. Its lobes are fleshy and bear hairs 

 on the outer surface. The epidermis consists of irregular 

 cells of wavy outline, and is pierced with many stomata. The 



