192 PLANT LIFE 
plant. Microscopic examination of a root 
shows that they are permeated by fungal 
hyphe, and careful experiments have proved 
that it is through the intermediation of these 
fungal threads that the saprophyte chiefly 
obtains its food. It thus appears that the 
term saprophyte is not a very happy one 
as applied to a plant like Neottia. The 
relation is rather more akin to parasitism, 
and it is the fungus from which nourishment 
is finally extorted. But inasmuch as the 
root both houses the fungus, and also con- 
tributes something towards its support, the 
parasitism is not very one-sided, although 
the final balance lies with the flowering plant. 
This association of the root with a fungus 
is a very intimate one in a large number 
of instances, and it occurs in a very great 
number of plants which would never be sus- 
pected of parasitic habits. The fungus-root 
is often called a mycorhiza, and it is worth 
while to study it a little more closely. 
The roots of many of our forest trees 
produce few or no root-hairs. Instead of 
this they are closely invested with a hairy 
coating of fungal hyphe. Not only do these 
hyphe ramify in the soil, but they also enter 
the root itself. Sometimes, as in the pines, 
they only pass between the cells, and do not 
enter them, but in other cases, as for example 
in orchids generally, they pierce the cell walls 
and enter the living cells. In both of these 
types of mycorhiza the fungus is doubtless 
