PARASITIC FLOWERING PLANTS. 



NUMBER of our indigenous flowering 

 plants have not hitherto been suc- 

 1^ cessfully cultivated. Some of them 

 when in bloom would be very at- 

 tractive objects in the flower garden, for 

 they are both beautiful and showy. The 

 difficulty has arisen from inattention to the 

 fact that they are root-parasitic. It is not 

 supposed that they are wholly dependent 

 upon their host plant for food ; in fact it has 

 been demonstrated that some of them are 

 not, but nevertheless they are not vigorous 

 and healthy without the nutriment derived 

 from the host. They grow from seed just 

 as any other seed bearing plant ; are 

 nourished for a time by their cotyledons, 

 their root extending into the earth and 

 branching out in search of food supply. 

 Upon the branching roots suckers are 

 formed, which attach themselves to the roots 

 of the appropriate host, and draw from them 

 the required nutriment. 



At present it is not known what plants 

 are chosen as host ; whether each requires 

 its own particular host, or uses indiff"erently 

 any one of several that it may chance to find 

 within reach. Here then is an interesting 

 field for original researches. Who will 

 work it and thus contribute a new item to 

 the sum of human knowledge ? Without 

 waiting for this the gardener can note what 

 plants are growing within reach of the one 

 he wishes to cultivate, and by growing them 

 in connection with it secure the required 

 host. 



The parasitic plants that will be named 

 are only such as one might desire to culti- 

 vate for the flower garden, and are all to be 

 found growing wild in Ontario. Two ot 

 these are perennials, which when properly 

 taken up can be transferred immediately to 

 the flower border ; all of the rest are annuals 

 that must be grown from seed. With regard 



to the perennials it is important to bear in 

 mind that the suckers are developed only 

 near the extremity of a rootlet, which forms 

 the terminus of the fleshy roots, radiating 

 horizontally in all directons. About the 

 time that the seeds ripen that portion of the 

 host's root which has been fed upon will 

 have decayed, and the suckers getting no 

 more nourishment also perish. Obliged 

 now to seek supplies elsewhere the tip of 

 the root begins to extend itself and continues 

 to elongate until it meets with a live root of 

 a suitable host plant, and then it develops a 

 new sucker upon the newly found root. 

 These perennials are the two which will now 

 be briefly described. 



Fig. 1920— Wood Betony. 



Pedicularis Canadensis — Linnaeus. 

 Wood Betony. A low growing plant bear- 

 ing red or yellow flowers in short spikes, 

 with fern-like foliage, blooming in May and 

 June in dry woods throughout Ontario. It 

 is very abundant in the neighborhood of 

 Toronto. (See Fig. 1920) an outline sketch 

 of a small flower cluster with only the stem 

 leaves. 



Pedicularis Lanceolata Michaux. 

 Swamp Lousewort. The flow^ers of this 



