The grubs of many beetles live in wood, upon which they feed. This
probably gives a clue to the primary use of the important commercial
substances india-rubber and guttapercha, which are the dried sticky
juices of various shrubs and trees growing in hot climates. Beetles of
the wood-boring kind, which seek to pierce and lay eggs in such plants,
are liable to be snarled and killed by the viscid fluids which ooze out.
Arums, and various other plants, ward off the attacks of snails and
slugs in a rather curious way The outer parts of their stems and
leafstalks contain bundles of excessively sharp crystals (_raphides_),
composed of oxalate of lime. These pierce the soft mouths of snails and
slugs like so many needles, conveying a lesson which usually needs no
repetition.
=STRANGE LIFE HABITS OF UNUSUAL PLANTS=
[Illustration: =The Giant Cactus of the American Desert=
These plants are little more than succulent stems covered with a thick
skin which retains the moisture of the juicy shoot.]
[Illustration: =The Century Plant=
The Century Plant is a native of Mexico, and is remarkable for the long
intervals between the blooming periods--once erroneously thought to be
100 years.]
[Illustration: =CHRISTMAS ROSE IN WINTER=
In defiance of the weather a few plants elect to come into bloom right
in the middle of winter. The most striking of these is the Christmas
Rose, or Hellebore. The flowers of this plant are protected by the
encircling sepals, and are fully able to hold their own until the
approach of a more favorable season.]
=SCIENTIFIC TERMS USED IN BOTANY=
=Completely Classified, Illustrated and Exemplified=