CURRENT LITERATURE 
BOOK REVIEWS 
Parasitic seed plants 
In ies to place at the command of students and teachers the best known 
methods of growing parasitic seed plants and to encourage the introduction 
of these ee neglected organisms into botanic gardens, HEINRICHER’ has 
compiled from his wide experience a manual of explicit directions ee the 
culture of all the better known species. Most of the European and many of 
the foreign representatives of the Scrophulariaceae, Orobanchaceae, Con- 
vol aceae, Lauraceae, Santalaceae, Loranthaceae, and Rafflesiaceae are 
included in his rather extensive list, and in nearly every instance his sugges- 
tions are based upon personal experience extending over several years. His 
previous investigations of the peculiarities in the germination of the seeds of 
parasites (reviewed in this journal?) have been extended, and much valuable 
data collected on the time required for bringing the parasites to maturity, 
as well as to the particular host upon which each develops best. While many 
of these plants may be grown readily in the open ground, pot culture is recom- 
mended for others on account of the greater ease with which they may be 
protected from insects and other enemies. It is found that many of the green 
hemiparasites are not very exacting in their choice of a host, but in promoting 
vigorous and rapid development care is often necessary in selecting a host that 
will not by too vigorous growth exclude the sunlight from the foliage of the 
parasite. This would indicate that the dependence is here incomplete and 
ee carbohydrates are synthesized by the leaves of the parasite. HEIN- 
RICHER, however, does not rely upon this evidence alone to demonstrate 
that many of the green parasitic seed plants, particularly those of the Rhi- 
nanthaceae, obtain only water and nutritive salts from their hosts, but pro- 
duces what seems to be a most complete line of evidence in support of his 
contention that photosynthesis continues long after the evolution of the 
parasitic habit has begun. He presents evidence that the leaves of these 
plants are highly differentiated morphologically, possess abundant stomata, 
: * HEINRICHER, E., Die Aufzucht und Kulture der parasitischen Samenpflanzen. 
8vo. pp. 53. Jena: Gustav Fischer. 1910. 
2 Bor. Gaz. Mae, ae 
3 HemnricHer, E., Die griinen Halbschmarotzer, VI. Zur Frage nach der 
assimilato: ihe eee der griinen parasitischen Rhineanthaceen. 
Jahrb. Wiss. Bot. 4'7:539-587. r910. 
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