The Plant 
53 
host plant, and which is being sent by it to the points 
of growth. There are other little branches of these 
sucker processes, which only go to the bast fibres, and 
these take up the moisture which is being sent up from 
the root by the host plant. The base of the Cuscuta 
plant soon dies away, and as it produces no foliage leaves 
it depends entirely on its host plant for all requirements. 
Such plants are known as parasites. 
It produces small complete flowers, 
with calyx, corolla, androecium, and 
gynaeceum, and also ripens seed, 
which falls into the soil, and which, 
under favourable circumstances, ger- 
minates and produces new plants. 
Drosera, or Sundew, is another 
very peculiar plant, found in abun- 
dance in some marshy places. It is 
easily detected by its peculiar little 
round leaves, closely covered with 
stout, reddish hairs, which have a 
little ball at the apex. These little 
hairs are very sensitive to the touch 
of any nitrogenous substance. Should a fly or other 
insect come into contact with these hairs they immediately 
close over it and kill it. The hairs then excrete a sub- 
stance which practically digests the insect; after which 
it is absorbed by the plant as part of its nutrition. A 
curious fact about these plants is, that if a very small 
stone or piece of cinder is placed on the hairs, it has no 
effect whatever on them. These plants are known as 
insectivorous plants. They also produce flowers and 
Parasite on a Hop Stem 
