ROOT PARASITES 149 



Balanophoraceae. 



A Family op Eoot Parasites. 



Distribution.— A small family, chiefly tropical, of which Balmyyphora and 

 Ci/nomorium are the principal genera. The latter was the Fungus Melitensis of 

 the Crusaders. The New Zealand species is endemic. 



Life History. 



There is perhaps no more remarkable family of flowering 

 plants than this. Its members are all root-parasites, and like 

 all parasites, have become ver.y much reduced in structure. 



The life history of one of the Balanophoraceae is shortly as 

 follows. The seed, which is very rudimentary, falls to the 

 ground, and reaches a suitable root buried under the vegetable 

 mould of the forest. It adheres to the root, and forms a httle 

 tubercle. The bark of the host is broken open, and an 

 extraordinary series of developments takes place, that has as 

 yet received no adequate explanation. The wood fibres of the 

 host separate into a fan-like mass, and being diverted from 

 their original course, pass up towards the parasite. This in 

 its turn sends out cells and vessels, which penetrate between 

 the ascending vascular bundles of the host ; and, by the 

 coalescence of the tissues of the two plants, an intermediate 

 zone is formed, composed partly of the cells of each, though, 

 in some still stranger cases, there are also developed cells whose 

 origin cannot be definitely referred to either plant. This 

 phenomenon somewhat resembles a natural grafting, but it is 

 a grafting between plants of completely different types. 



The tubercle now grows to the size of a fist, or larger, and 

 short, thick, fleshy shoots are sent out from it. These do not 

 develop true leaves, but in many cases produce scales, which 

 surround the flower-heads. Tlie flowers are either terminal 

 or m spikes. The colouring of these flower shoots is often 

 most remarkable. They are frequently fungoid in appearance. 

 Indeed, early writers of the nineteenth century were so 



