English: Thismia neptunis painted by Marianne North in "Singular Plants of the Dark Forests of Singapore and Borneo" 244 Singular Plants of the Dark Forests of Singapore and Borneo These highly curious organisms are members of a small Natural Order the Burmanniacece related to the Orchidece Some of them draw their nourishment from decaying vegetable matter hence are called saprophytes some from the roots of other plants to which they attach themselves parasitically and as the food thus obtained is ready for assimilation there is no necessity for green leaves which are essential to most plants in the preparation of the food absorbed from the earth in a crude state by their roots The plants here represented belong to the genera Thismia Geomitra and Burmannia and were painted mainly from Dr Beccari's figures and descriptions