The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1885-10-28
SOME FLORAL WONDERS.
VERY REMARKABSE FLOWERS AND
PLANTS DRsCRIRED.
An Enormous RIOssOm-SIeeping
PInnts-A Botanical CIOct-PlnutS
ns Weather indicators

pInnts-A Botanical CI0ck-Plnuts
as Weather indicators.
"It is curious how plants differ, said
a botanist to a visitor. "They remind
me of persons. l have plethoric friend
whom Ialways associate with pumpkin,
and to show how accommodating and
obliging some people are, when once
suggested it to him, he offered to have
his brain taken out and candle intro
duced so that the idea of the jack o.
lantern might be carried out. The lilies,
roses, and daisies all remind us of types
of human beings, and the association is
very pretty one.
"During a journey in India" con-
tinued the botanist, 81 made the ac-
ouaintance Of number Of flowers, and
some of exceeding interest. What would
you think now of riding along through
the wood and coming upon flower that
offered fair jump for your horse9-in
other words, was three or four feet across
and ten or twelve feet in circum-
ference. Well, this was the experience of
an acquaintance in Sumatra, where some
of the most remarkable creations of the
floral world are found. This flower was
about all there was to the plant; roots,
stem and everything seemed to have
been sacrificed to make up the enormous
flower, that weighed, he estimated, ff
teen pounds OF more"
1.-THE odor must have been of several
horsepower, suggested the listener.
$50 it was, " was the reply-''so strong,
overpowering, and offensive that it was
impossible to remain within close prox-
unity of it. The central portion consti-
tuted cup that held about two quarts
of water, and as this was filled with in
sects dead and macerated, it might have
been the cause of the odor. These gi-
gantic creations of the vegetable world
are comparatively rare; only few have
been seen, and none brought to Europe.
Some of the plants that / noticed had
remarkable faculty of going to sleep,
Just about as we would ourselves. One
large leafed fern particularly attracted
my attention, as it grew at my dooryard
In the daytime the leaves were upright,
but as soon as the sun disappeared they
became gradually depressed, and were
soon completely closed up-actually fast
asleep, only opening out when the sun
rose the next morning. But / need not
take you to India to see the plants asleep;
many of our own put on the night-cap.
There is in reality no direct analogy be-
tween the sleep of animals and plants,
only we know that during the day the
leaves of some are in activity, and at
night they are not; hence we assume
chat they are at rest, or sleeping. Take
as an example the acacia tree, the wood
sorrel, and white clover; compare the
positions of their leaves during night
and day. The wood sorrel resembles
clover each leaf having three heart
shaped lobes connected to the stalk by
a slender stem. Now in the daytime
they are spread out just as are the clover
leaves, but watch them as night comes
on, and you will notice gradual closing
up. Finally each leaf will be found to
have completely closed and fallen down,
resting on the foot stalk.
"The interesting feature of this is to
notice how at certain times the move
ment commences. Thus at about half
past five the leaves will be seen to sink
or close rapidly, and two hours later are
entirely shut, opening about the
same time in the morning. This
can be observed by keeping plants
in pots. In one of his experiments Oar
win observed one of these plants elevate
and depress its leaves four times in one
day-napping, we might say. The plant
known as the Blimbling, or scientifically,
Arerrhoa bilimbi, distant relative of the
wood sorrel, is interesting from the fact
that it not only goes to sleep, but actually
appears to have certain movements dur
ing the day time. If you watch it, you
will notice that all at once a leaf will
elevate or depress itself spontaneously,
and when hundreds of the leaves do tins
at the same time the effect is very
striking. When first observed it was
Thought that it was the wind but exami-
natlcc showed that the tree was actually
waving its leaves, so to speak, Asnight
approaches all the leaves hang down or
become depressed. Beside these move
ments at night and morning, many plants
have motions more or less dependent
upon the weather, and many curious de-
vices have been suggested to utilize them
in clocks, barometers, and 30 on. On
this principle botanical clock has been
made, and that it is possible is evident
from the fact that there is not an hour
in the day but what some plant
blooms; thus the purple convolvulus
blooms at A. N. the flor de notte at 8
or 4; the goats beard at 4; yellow arctic
poppy at 5; the nipplewort at 6; sow
thistle at z nolana at 8; red sandwort
at 10; fig marigold at II and so on, and
by thus arranging these you surely have
time-piece of nature
"a very fair indicator can be made of
the little capsules of Messembryanthe-
mum tripolium by placing them in
dish of water. If rain is threatened, the
seed vessel opens like a star, closing
again when the shower is over; and a
number of plants have the same property.
Perhaps, said the botanical artist,
'ithere is nothing that strikes one so re-
markably as the rapid growth of some
plants. ! remember seeing a plant in
Florida that appeared so suddenly by
my window that spoke to my host
about it, and remarked that he had been