306 The Romance of Wild Flowers 
produced these desirable substances by means of their 
chlorophyll. To such plants roots and leaves would 
be useless because they would have no functions to 
discharge, the whole surface being absorbent. We 
therefore find that, instead of roots, these are merely 
branching extensions of the base of the stem securing 
the plant in the soil, and the leaves have been reduced 
to mere scales of a brownish hue. The Coral-root is 
so called because its underground branches are fleshy 
fibres resembling an interlacing mass of white coral; 
whilst those of the Bird’s-nest are so interwoven that 
they present the appearance of a bird’s nest. A con- 
sideration of these plants leads to the belief that their 
ancestors were once ordinary plants with green leaves 
containing chlorophyll, but that one member of the 
family found it advantageous to get his carbonaceous 
material from the lifeless bodies of other plants which 
had accumulated it in the usual way. Succeeding 
generations following in the new method of obtaining 
food at first perhaps partially, then wholly, the leaves 
—rendered brown by the non-development of useless 
chlorophyll— would gradually dwindle in size for 
want of using until they became the scales we now 
find sheathing the stem. Organs once possessed by a 
species are seldom given up entirely, however useless 
they may have become; so that should circumstances 
again necessitate a return to the older method of 
breaking up carbon-dioxide, these brown scales may 
again develop into large leaves containing chlorophyll, 
and perform the normal functions of leaves. 
The Tway-blade (Listera ovata), whose twin broad 
leaves are so noticeable in woods and pastures in 
spring, presents a strong contrast with its relations 
