Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1877-07-11
Light-Emitting Flowers.

! The power of emitting light has been
/ found TO be possessed by several flowers.
l The daughter of the great Swedish ma
turalist, Linn9us, was wont TO amuse
/ herself in the summer twilight by
setting fire to the inflammable atmos-
phere which surrounds the essential oil
glands of the Fraxinella. One sultry
summer evening, while sitting in the
garden, she was very much surprised to
notice the flowers of a group of nastur-
tiums emitting luminous radiations, and
she observed the same thing occur on
on several subsequent evenings in June
and July. l762. The same phenomenon
has also been observed by several nat
uralists, but almost exclusively in con-
nection with yellow or Orange-colered
| flowers, such as the sunflower, the mari
gold, pOppies and the orange lily. The
following account of interesting obser-
vations of some of these luminous flow
ers is given by DR.. Philpson - "The
Swedish naturalist. Professor Haggern,
perceived one evening flash OF light
dart repeatedly from marigold. Sur
prised at such an uncommon appear
ance, he resolved to examine it with at
tention, and to be assured that it was
no deception he placed man near him
with orders to make signal when he
observed the light. They both saw it
constantly at the same moment. The
light was most brilliant upon mari
Colds of an orange or flame color, but
scarcely visible upon the pale ones. The
flash was frequently seen on the same
flower two or three times in quick sue
cession, but more commonly at inter-
walls of several minutes. When several
flowers, in the same place, emitted this
light together, it could be seen at con-
siderable distance. This phenomenon
was remarked in July and August at
sunset, and for half an hour when the
sky was clear; but after rainy day,
or when the air was loaded with vapors,
nothing of it was TO be seen. On the
18th of June, 1867, about ten O'Clock in
the evening, NJ. Fries, the well known
Swedish botanist, while walking along
in the Botanic Garden at Upsal, re-
marked group of poppies (PdpGrer
orientdle), in which three or four flow-
ers emitted little flashes of light. Fore
warned as lie was by knowledge that
such things had been observed by
others, he could not help believing that
he was suffering from an optical delu-
sion. However, the flashes continued
showing themselves, from time to time,
during three-quarters of an hour. NJ.
/, Fries was thus forced to believe that
what be saw was real. The next day
observing the same phenomenon to re-
cur about the same hour, he conducted
TO the place person entirely ignorant
that such a manifestation of light had
ever been witnessed in the vegetable
world, and, without relating anything
concerning it, he brought his compan-
ion before the group of poppies. The
latter observer was soon in raptures of
astonishment and admiration. Many
other persons were then led to the same
spot, some of whom Immediately re-
marked that the flowers were throwing
out fames.' 1t is chiefly In the sum-
mer months that the emission of light
from flowers are seen, and generally
during twilight. 1t is said, however,
that flashes have also been noticed in
the morning, just before sunrise. The
light emitted is always most brilliant
before thunder storm.-Leisure Hours.