2 STUDIES IN ROOT-PARASITISM. 
parasitic nature of the Olacacee, but, just as similar suggestions 
regarding Santalacee were long before they bore fruit, those on 
the Olacacee have been disregarded. So important a character 
as parasitism could not have been without interest to systematists, 
and the absence of all knowledge on the subject must be put 
down to the fact that the bulk of the systematic study of the 
higher plants is carried on in herbaria, where large collections of 
dried branches are stored, and therefore far away from the 
natural haunts of the plants themselves. 
The parasitism of Thesium humifusum was proved by 
Mitten’ in 1847: Planchon’ discovered that of Osyris alba in 
1858 : Scott® noted the parasitism of Santalum album m 1871 : 
comparatively recently Shirai‘ discovered that Buckleya Quad- 
riala possesses the like character. And in most of these cases, 
if not in all, the discovery was made quite independently of the 
known occurrence of this character in the Order. Planchon, 
when he found haustoria on Osyris, remarked that probably all 
Santalacee and, from their affinity, Olacaceew would prove to be 
root-parasites, but neither this nor Heckel’s note’ on the parasit- 
ism of Ximenia americana seedlings produced any further results. 
The discovery of root-parasites among Olacacew in South India 
was, as already described (Santalum, Part I), made quite acci- 
dentally while searching for haustoria of Santalum album. 
2. Olax scandens is a sprawling shrub growing in the midst 
of thickets. Its trunk is not usually very conspicuous, but some- 
times reaches 6—8 inches in thickness, with numerous dorsiventral, 
1 W. Mitten, Sur le Parasitisme des Racines du Thesium humifusum. Ann. d, Se. Nat. 
III Ser. Bot. 1847. Vol. 7, pp. 127-8. 
2 J. E. Planchon, Sur le Parasitisme del’ Osyris alba (C. R. d. V Acad. d. Se. 26 July 
1853). Bull. d. 1. Soc. Bot. d. France, V., 1858. 
8 J. Scott, Loranthacee ... germination and mode of attachment. Journ. 
Agri-Hort. Soc. Ind. II, 2, 1871, 
* S. Kusano, Studies on the Parasitism of Buckleya Quadriala, B. et. H., a Santalaceous 
Parasite, and on the structure of its Haustorium. Journ. Coll. Sc. Imp. Univ., Tokyo, 
Japan, xvii, 10, 1902, 
6 A, Heckel, Surle Processus germinatif dans le graine de Ximenia americana L., et 
sur la Nature des Ecailles Radiciformes, Rev. gen. d. Bot. XI. 401-9, 1899. 
