On top of the picture is a cross-section of the parasite Cassytha ciliolata, a bindweed. It seems to sit on top of its host (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) that is shown in cross-section, too. The bindweed has penetrated the host's tissue with a sucker (haustorium). The sucker is the only part of the specimen that has been cut in a longitudinal section (in the middle of the picture). The sucker makes a contact between the host's and the parasite's conducting tissue. The picture has been taken with a light microscope
(U. HOFFMANN, R. KOLLMANN, 1980).