Roots Of The Nuytsia Floribunda, Or Western Australian Christmas Tree.

Summary

Book caption: When the roots of Nuytsia ramifying through the soil encounter the roots of other plants, they attach themselves by developing a fleshy collar from which the tissue of the host is penetrated to draw off water and nutrients. This photograph was taken in the wild at Mt Merivale, Esperance, and shows roots of Pelargonium with two Nuytsia sucking organs attached, a complete collar at the upper left and a partial one at lower right, the latter with a thinner white Nuytsia rootlet leading away from it. Nuytsia has been shown to attach itself in this way to plastic-covered underground electric cables, dissolving the insulation and causing shorting!