Clarksville evening tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1890, 1890-03-08
A METAL EATING PLANT.
ONE OF THE STANLEY EXPEDITION
4 MAKES THE DISCOVERY.

F1ra VIII Not Consume It-GOod for Fences.
Africa Adds Phenomenon to the Veg
etable world which win BE of Great
Commercial Value.
Professor Schelwisch, the well known nat
uralist of Bavaria while travelling with the
Stanley expedition in the heart OF Africa for
the purpose Of studying the fora and fauna
Of the dark continent, was the first white man
to discover this strange plant.
One day while resting at a small village
near the foot Of Mount Milosis, in the limbo
DO region, Professor Schelwisch noticed
plant with a peculiar steel colored foliage,
and on examination it was found that the
shrub, although growing like other plants
from the soil, was practically composed OF
iron. The leaves, though very thin, were
bent with great difficulty, and the twigs and
branches resisted pressure with force about
equal to the same amount Of iron, and to se-
cure a leaf it was found to be necessary to
separate it from the bush with file
While Professor Schelwisch was digging at
the base of this plant for the purpose Of max
ing an examination of its roots, the natives
crowded around him In great numbers, ges-
tioulating In a menacing manner The pro-
lessor desisted from his work and the inter-
NA~S 1850
was a holy tree and worshiped by the natives
in their fetch religion as a God plant, and
that to dig one up would bring ruin and des-
.olation upon the whole village and surround
ing country.
Professor Schelwisch offered to buy the
plant, and taking out a handful Of copper
coins, gave them to the savages, who gladly
accepted the money and distributed it among
themselves The professor then returned to
the work of digging up the unique plant, but
had not made any great progress when the
natives again set upon him. Through the
interpreter the professor informed them that
he hadsegally bought the plant and intended
to remove It, As soon as this message was
made known to the savages every one who
had received coin came and dropped 1t in
the hole at the base Of the shrub Professor
Schelwisch allowed the coins to ROMAN IN the
hole and walked away toward the mountain
to hunt another specimen.
IT'S STRANGE PROPERTIES DISCOVERED.
Next day, as the party were preparing to
continue the march, the professor was curt
Gus to know If the coins had remained updis-
turbed during the night by the superstitious
natives, and on approaching the metal plant
was astonished to find it had changed its color
completely. Instead of being a beautiful
steel color, the stem, leaves and what was ex-
posed of the roots presented the appearances
Of newly coined copper coins and glittered in
the morning sunlight like polished gold.
Upon examination it was ascertained that
during the night the strange plant had alb
sorbed nearly all the copper coins, with the
result of completely changing its color.
What was left of the coins in the hole showed
that they were more than half eaten away or
absorbed by the roots of the metal plant
Not only was the color changed, but the text
ure of the plant had undergone a similar
transformation 1t was found that the thin
ivy shaped leaves were now easily bent
around the fingers, would retain any shape
given them and could be readily cut with an
ordinary pair of scissors
Professor Schelwsch succeeded in surrep-
titiousy securing several branches Of this
wonderful metal eating plant, and was also
successful in obtaining good photograph OF
1t. No further trace of the existence of the
metal plant was found until the expedition
reached the Uniamesi country, when at the
base of the Nkomabakosi mountains perfect
forest of this curious plant was found. This
being an unnhabited region no difficulty was
encountered in securing specimens to take
back to England.
FIRE DOES NOT AFFECT IT.
While in this locality ample opportunity
was afforded the members of the expedition
10 make an exhaustive study of the habits
and pecularites of this most remarkable Of
all species of the vegetable kingdom. BY {
series of carefully conducted experiments Il
was found that this plant would feed on any
kind Of metal placed at its roots and in few
DAYS take on the characteristics OF tina
metal and in the case of the softer metal
often but few hours were required to eifec
complete metamorphosis of its fiber ant
color.
Being curious to know how fire woul'
affect growing plant of this species, prepa
rations were made for the test. Large guam
titles of seasoned wood were procured am
p,led in a long row covering about thirty o
the metal plants and a fire kindled at tn
windward end, Stanley and his entire part
watched the experiment, and had the salts
faction of demonstrating that, beyond th
hlackeuing Of the foliage by smoke, the II
tense heat to which the metal plant had bee
nhiected had done no harm to the plant i
self At the expiration of a week it wa
found that the rain had removed nearly a
traces of the fire and the plants were appal
emily as healthy as ever.
The roots present pecularities not found
other plants. They branch out from IL
trunk on all sides like vine and are usual
from six TO eight inches beneath the surtaI
Of the soil Regularly at every seven or eigl
inches the root branches and at this junctul
grows a peculiar pair Of round, slightly col
caved discs, hinged together like the shells
a clam at the point of juncture with Il
root. Thae discs leave their convex sid
outward and usually remain above half opC
until they encounter metal or metol ore, wit
thew gradually close around it and proce
m,nposed TO be similar 60 electroplating go
on. the metal being rapidly absorbed by t
plant. Philadelphia Times.