. Field and woodland plants. obes,are always turned with onesurface towards the light,and are so arranged as toobtain the maximum oflight, the less exposedleaves below catching therays which pass betweenthe lobes of those which aremore favourably situated. The branches of thetree do not, as a rule,produce flowers as longas they are able to climb ; but as soon as they reach the summit of the tiee or wall to whichthey cling, or reach a situation where there is a sufficient abundanceof light and aii, they change their character in a remarkable now become bushy, cease to produce suckers,
. Field and woodland plants. obes,are always turned with onesurface towards the light,and are so arranged as toobtain the maximum oflight, the less exposedleaves below catching therays which pass betweenthe lobes of those which aremore favourably situated. The branches of thetree do not, as a rule,produce flowers as longas they are able to climb ; but as soon as they reach the summit of the tiee or wall to whichthey cling, or reach a situation where there is a sufficient abundanceof light and aii, they change their character in a remarkable now become bushy, cease to produce suckers, and give riseto imdivided leaves that turn in all directions for light and the tip of each twig is formed a cluster of yellowish-greenflowers, azTanged in a short raceme or in an umbel. These flowershave an inconspicuous calyx which forms a border lound themiddle of the ovary, and five short petals. There are also fivestamens, and united styles. The fruit is a smooth, black berry,containing from two to five seeds. z2. The Strawberry Tree in flower, with theFruits (almost ripe) op the previous year. XXIII PARASITIC PLANTS A NUMBER of plants extract more or less of the organic materialthey require from other plants, and thus save themselves thelabour of building up tliis material themselves. These are termedparasites ; but we must be careful to distinguish between themand certain other plants which, though apparently parasitic, arenot really so. One plant may climb on another, perhaps evenproducing rootlets by which it clings to its Living support, andyet it may not be a parasite in the proper sense of the term, for itmay not absorb the slightest amount of nutritious matter exceptfrom the soil and the air. It is not at all uncommon for the Honey-suckle to twine its stems round the trunk and branches of a youngtree, with the result that the tree becomes stunted, and assumesa starved appearance, especially in its lower parts ; and yet theHoneysuckle is not a parasite. It ha
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