83 
There is nothing* in the appearance of the tree to suggest a 
parasitic mode of nutrition. The leaves seem quite capable of 
supplying* the organic food material necessary, as they are not 
deficient in chlorophyll, while the roots appear quite capable of 
supplying* the mineral constituents necessary. 
Roots are given off from the long* underground stems and 
when they are traced out they are found to branch repeatedly, 
finally giving* rise to long white fleshy roots up to about a quarter 
of an inch in diameter, and from these branch smaller white and 
very fragile roots. It is probably on account of the extremely 
fragile nature of these roots that the parasitic nature of the 
Christmas Tree has not actually been discovered previously. When 
they come into contact with another root, a fleshy outgrowth starts 
to develop. Two white fleshy arms start to grow round the 
attacked root in opposite directions from the point of contact 
(Fig. 7). 
Ultimately the two arms meet on the other side of the root 
and fuse so that an unbroken fleshy ring encircles the host (Figs. 
8 and 9). 
Fig. 8. 
Haustoriogen on young* root of Hibbertia hypericoides. 
On the inner side of this fleshy ring, at the points of contact, 
arise the haustoria or suckers, so that it may for convenience be* 
called the haustoriogen (Fig. 10). The haustoria are formed on 
the inner side of the fleshy arms before the ring is complete. The- 
haustoriogen in section is found to contain a very small vascular 
bundle, which goes right round; but the greater part of it is com- 
posed of simple parenchymatous tissue. The haustoria are small 
tongue-like masses of parenchymatous tissue, and when they pierce 
