SAPROPHYTES AND CARNIVOROUS PLANTS 409 



dodder, 1 which is common all over the central and the north- 

 eastern states, grows freely on many kinds of plants, from 

 golden-rods to willows. 



381. Saprophytes. A saprophyte (meaning decay plant) is 

 a plant of which the nutrition is largely or wholly dependent 

 on the absorption of organic 



material, usually when in a 

 state of fermentation or de- 

 cay. Most plants of this kind 

 are fungi (Chapter xxn), but 

 there are a few saprophytic 

 seed plants, the Indian pipe, 

 so common in coniferous 

 woods, being one of the 

 most familiar. In appear- 

 ance the saprophytes re- 

 semble parasites so far as 

 the absence of green color 

 is concerned and of course 

 they do little or no photo- 

 synthetic work. 



382. Carnivorous plants. 

 In the ordinary pitcher 

 plants (Fig. 311) the leaf 

 appears in the shape of a 

 more or less hooded pitcher. 



These pitchers are usually FIG. 311. Common pitcher plant 

 partly filled with water, and (Sarracenia purpurea) 



in this water very many At the ^-^^,H k e leaves is 

 drowned and decaying 



insects are commonly to be found. The insects have flown or 

 crawled into the pitcher, and, once inside, have been unable 

 to escape on account of the dense growth of bristly hairs about 

 the mouth, all pointing inward and downward. How much the 

 , l Cus r uta Gronovii. 



