CLIMBING PLANTS AND PARASITES 45 



(4) The hollow stem in wheat plant or reed is stronger than a 

 solid stem would be. Has man taken the hint in any of his 

 building plans ? 



(5) Give examples of plants that have burrowing stems. 



(6) Give examples of trees that are conical in shape (pine) and 

 spreading (elm). 



Composition Exercise. — Tell how the water runs up and 

 down a stem. 



Drawing Exercise. — Draw an old stem to shew the annual 

 rings. 



Draw cut shoots of (a) vine, (b) Danubian reed ; to show the 

 water-paths. Use colour to shew the sap-tubes. 



VIII.— CLIMBING PLANTS AND PARASITES, 



1. Every plant tries to get up into the light. If it 

 could whisper its wish in your ear, you would hear it 

 say : " How can I get my leaves up and up into the 

 air and sunshine ?" And each plant has its own way 

 of climbing up. One, like the gum tree, makes itself so 

 hard and strong that it can hold ten thousand leaves 

 up in the air ; another, like the ivy, climbs nearly as 

 high, but only with the help of the gum tree ; a third, 

 like the mistletoe, perches on a high branch and sucks 

 its juices : and a fourth, like the dodder, lives entirely 

 on the plant round which it winds. Nay, there are 

 beautiful climbing orchids in the Queensland woods 

 that get all their food from the air and the moisture 

 in the air. These orchids have no earth-roots, and 

 use their claw-like roots to climb up trees. 



2. Beginning, then, with those plants that do not 

 need much help, we have to look at the plants that 



