PERSONALITY OF PLANTS 
Tiger kills its prey; an Ox devours unoffending 
Grass; the parasitic Dodder robs some healthy 
neighbour of part of its juices. 
The word “parasite” originally referred to 
a member of a college of priests who had their 
meals in common. Later, it came to mean liv- 
ing at another’s expense, as large numbers of 
people did in classical times. When one re- 
alizes that there are twenty-five hundred species 
of parasitical seed plants, he hesitates to brand 
them all as thieves and degenerates. Taking 
into consideration plants which depend upon 
the soil fungi for part of their sustenance, we 
should have to call half the seed plants in the 
world “parasites.” On a basis of strict account- 
ability, it would also be necessary to classify all 
fruits as “parasites” as they draw nourishment 
from the parent boughs and give no return. 
The fact is there are very few plants which 
are not more or less dependent upon some liv- 
ing fellow creature for their food supply. 
Sometimes the relation is strictly reciprocal; 
sometimes the advantage appears to greatly 
favour one or the other of the participants. In 
other cases the occurrence arises accidently 
[58] 
