172 PARASITIC PLANTS. 



XIV. 



PARASITIC PLANTS. 



TRUE parasites are plants which attach them- 

 selves to others and feed, either wholly or in part, 

 upon stolen juices. 



Bacteria are microscopic parasites which mul- 

 tiply with marvellous rapidity, building up cell 

 after cell at the expense of the organism in which 

 they live. Our contagious diseases are ascribed to 

 the presence of bacteria in the blood. 



Many fungi and lichens are parasitic, drawing 

 their nourishment from the plants on which they 

 grow. The gardener scrapes his fruit trees, that 

 the fungi on the bark may not extract the food 

 which should all be used to nourish blossom and 

 fruit. 



We will now consider only the parasites which 

 are found among the higher plants. 



(Parasitic ; plants may be either colored or green. 

 The former class have no green leaves. They 

 are therefore unable to digest their own food, and 

 must take it ready-made from others. The Dodder 



