THE PLANT AS A HOST 45 



of the plant that it is not a very depraved parasite, 

 the pale green foliage indicating that the elabor- 

 ation of chlorophyll is carried on to a certain 

 extent. 



The story of the Dodder, a parasite of the most 

 abandoned description, is a very different one 

 from that of the Mistletoe. These remarkable 

 plants, of which there are several species found 

 in Great Britain, have given up all attempts to 

 make a living for themselves in the proper manner, 

 and have appeared on the scene as undisguised 

 robbers. The life history of a typical species, 

 Cuscitta epithymum, is most curious. The seed 

 of the plant germinates in the soil in the usual 

 manner of most plants. One fact which is signi- 

 ficant is that, unlike most other flowering plants, 

 the embryo of the Dodder is not provided with 

 any reserve of food material. What little nourish- 

 ment the developing plant requires, until it can 

 enter upon its parasitical career, is drawn from 

 the albuminous matter within itself. Soon after 

 germination the thin radicle pushes its way down 

 into the soil ; meanwhile a red filament spreads 

 upwards. It is a matter of urgency that the 

 young Dodder should at the earliest possible 

 moment be able to find a host, unless it is to 

 perish miserably. The red shoot elongates at a 



