ORGANOTOPIC prants. 
71 
described below. They are, first, epiphytes; second, par¬ 
asites and hemiparasites ; third, saprophytes and hemisap- 
rophytes ; fourth, symbiots, and fifth, insectivorous plants. 
Tocally we have no epiphytes among our flowering 
plants. Persons who have been so fortunate as to visit 
Florida or other sub-tropical regions have seen with de¬ 
light the Polypodium and the Spanish moss and the beau¬ 
tiful orchid, Kpidendron, clinging to the live-oaks and the 
magnolias. 
There are in our area but five true parasites. The com¬ 
monest of these is likely to be found in the edges of fields 
or along watercourses, twining its slender yellow stem 
about the larger herbs, especially those belonging to the 
composite family, with an embrace all too ardent. If you 
look for a root you will probably find none. The plant 
germinated in the usual way from a seed and had at first a 
root, but after it had taken firm hold of the host plant it 
proceeded to develop, at the points of contact, little suck¬ 
ers through which in the course of time a complete circu¬ 
latory connection was established. This end having been 
attained, nutriment was drawn wholly from the host, no 
further connection with the ground was necessary, and the 
root, having nothing to do, got discouraged and died. 
This parasite is the dodder, more poetically and also ap¬ 
propriately called in the South, “love vine.” The dod¬ 
ders constitute a family of themselves, closely allied to the 
convolvulus family. In our local species, Cuscuta Grono- 
vii, the tiny white flowers grow in compact masses, some¬ 
times as thick as a man’s thumb. In some parts of the 
world the genus is a serious pest. 
The dodder is a stem parasite. Our only tree parasite 
is the dwarf mistletoe, a minute plant which few but bot¬ 
anists have ever noticed. In the spruce forests or swamps 
there are sometimes seen, mostly on spruces, occasionally 
on other conifers, curious abnormal growths known as 
