CHAPTER II 

 GUILDS 



Introduction, i. Lianes. Scramblers, Root - climbers, Twiners, Tendril-climbers. 

 Geographical distribution of lianes. 2. Epiphytes. Oecological conditions of life. 

 Transition from the terrestrial to the epiphytic mode of life. Contrivances for ensuring 

 dispersal of seeds. Geographical distribution of epiphytes. 3. Saprophytes. Occur- 

 rence in families of plants. Connexion between structure and mode of life. Geographical 

 distribution. Hemisaprophytes. 4. Parasites. Hemiparasites and holoparasites. 

 Resemblances to saprophytes. Organs of absorption : haustoria. Occurrence in families 

 of plants. Geographical distribution. 



INTRODUCTION. 



Dispersed among the plants that occupy the ground and are essentially- 

 responsible for the building up of the formations, there are almost always 

 found other plants of quite different modes of life, which appear indis- 

 criminately as accessory components of the most diverse formations without 

 ever grouping themselves into one of their own. In fact they are unable to 

 do so, for they depend on other plants for their existence. Each of these 

 groups of plants has, in accordance with its mode of life, characteristic traits 

 which may undergo many modifications with any change in the environment, 

 but which always remain unchanged in their leading features. Such oeco- 

 logical groups are termed guilds 1 . They are four in number — lianes, 

 epiphytes, saprophytes, parasites. 



The transition between the plants that produce formations and the plants 

 that form guilds is supplied by the lithophytes described in the preceding 

 chapter, which range themselves into formations of their own, but also occur 

 as subsidiary components on scattered rocks and stones in the midst of 

 other formations. Lithophytes in particular show intimate relations with 

 epiphytes, and many plants thrive as well on the surface of rocks as on the 

 bark of trees. 



1. LIANES 2 . 



Whilst formerly only climbing woody plants were termed lianes, H. 



Schenck includes under this term all plants that take root in the ground 



and, being furnished with long stems having long internodes, make use of 



other plants as supports in order to raise their foliage and flowers from the 



1 Schimper, op. cit., p. 8. 2 H. Schenck, I and II. 



