Abstract
SURGEON-MAJOR BIDIE has in this volume presented to the Indian Government a report on the parasitical plants which prove destructive to forest and garden trees on the Neilgherries, and on the best mode of remedying the evil. The whole of these destructive parasites belong to one natural order, Loranthaceæ, represented in this country by a single species, the Mistletoe, and to two genera, Loranthus and Viscum. The fruit of the Loranthaceæ is characterised by the envelopment of the seed in a layer of a viscid substance, described by Dr. Bidie as intermediate in character between resin and india-rubber. Outside this viscid layer is a pulpy body which serves as food for birds and squirrels. After devouring this the seed is rejected, or, in the case of squirrels, passes uninjured through the body, and then adheres to the bark of any tree on which it may be cast. If the immediate conditions are unfavourable, the seed will be preserved in a state capable of germination for a very considerable time beneath its viscid covering. With regard to the mode of germination, Dr. Bidie has nothing to add to the information already furnished by Mr. Griffith and Dr. Hooker. With reference to the mode of attachment between the parasite and the host, the author states that although very firmly attached, there is no actual interlacing of the tissues; and that in some instances, after maceration in water for a few days, the parasite could be separated from the host without much difficulty. It is noteworthy that native Indian trees and shrubs do not appear to suffer nearly so much from the attacks of the Loranthaceæ as introduced, especially Australian, species. One foreigner, however, which appeared quite exempt from their ravages, was the “blue gum,” the Eucalyptus globulus, which has already so many other useful qualities placed to its credit. Dr. Bidie asserts that the Loranthaceæ derive their nutriment not from the descending elaborated, but from the crude ascending sap of the host; hence their need for green foliage containing chlorophyll and possessing stomata, in which other parasites are deficient. The volume is embellished by fifteen large lithographs representing the different species, and illustrating the structure of the fruit and the mode of parasitism of the order.
Report on the Neilgherry Loranthaceous Parasitical Plants destructive to Exotic Forest and Fruit Trees.
George
Bidie
By, Madras. (Printed by E. Keys, at the Government Press, 1874.)
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[Book Reviews]. Nature 12, 453 (1875). https://doi.org/10.1038/012453b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/012453b0