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forming food in the ordinary manner. These are partial 

 parasites, and they may attach themselves by their roots 

 underground, or may grow on their branches. Native 

 Cherry and Eyebright and the Australian Mistletoes are 

 examples of this. 



Further, plants may become entirely parasitic, as many 

 of the fungi causing diseases of plants. Spotted Orchid 

 and Native Potato are root parasites; our Mistletoe and 

 Dodder are parasites on plant stems. 



A very interesting means of adding to the stock of food 

 without the trouble of manufacturing it is by catching arid 

 consuming animals. This is the carnivorous habit. No 

 plant has the power of preying on animals larger than 

 insects; all further statements, as plants consuming large 

 animals and even man, must be taken as travellers' tales. 

 There are a good many carnivorous plants in the world, 

 and in Tasmania we hav at least ten species belonging 

 to two genera, the Sundew and Butterfly plants. 



We have no conspicuouslv saprophytic flowering plants, 

 except a rare little Thismia. Probably research will dis- 

 cover that more of our wild flowers have this power to a 

 partial extent, but it has yet to be proved. 



Of the partial parasites the most conspicuous is the 

 family to which our Native Cherry belongs. It is the 

 Sandalwood family, all of which ha-ve this habit. We 

 have seven species, of which Red and White Cherry are 

 the commonly noticed plants. These are very different in 

 habit, and their fruits are not always red and white 

 respectively, but are so sufficiently often to make it an 

 easy way for immediate recognition. These plants have 

 minute functionless leaves, but the branches are green, 

 and do their work. When quite young they live independ- 

 ently, but soon, where their roots meet with those of other 

 plants, they attach themselves and suck nourishment. If 

 you clear all vegetation round a Native Cherry and trench 

 sufficiently deeply to cut all root connections, the shrub 

 will proceed to die; also, all efforts to transplant other 

 than a small specimen will result in failure. The flowers 

 are very small, and arranged many together, close on the 

 ends of branches. The perianth is simple and minute, and 

 placed below the ovary; this distinguishes it from a com- 

 mon closely allied genus, where the perianth is above and 

 crowns the fruit with a little crest- As fruit is formed 

 the stalk of the flower elongates and becomes very fleshy 

 and red or white. The ovary bearing the seed is borne on 

 the apex like a little oblong hard berry. This fleshy stalks 





