The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-02-15
4 BLooD-sUCKINe PLANT.
Strange Vegetable Growth Found in
Central American Swsmps-

| Ncgr Orleans Cor Richmond (Fd-) State.
| LEROY Dunstan, the well-known natural
ist of this city, who has recently returned
from Central America, where he had spent
nearly two years in the study Of the fora
and fauna Of the country, relates the finding
Of a singular growth in one Of the swamps
which surround the great lake Of Nicaragua.
! He was engaged il hunting for botanical
and chronological specimens in this swamp,
which IS known as San Sebastian's, when
he heard his dog cry cut as if in agony from
3 distance. Running 70 the spot from which
| the animals cries came, Mr.. Dunstan found
/ him elvelopei IN perfect net work of
what seem 10 be a fine, rope-like tissue of
roots or fibers. the nature of which was I'M
known 10 him.
The plant or vine seemed composed en-
tirely of bare, inteTlaced stems, resembling
more than anything else the branches of
the weeping willow denuded Of all foliage,
but Of q dark. nearly black hue, and COW
cred with a thick viscid gum that exudei
from the pores Drawing his knife, Mr.
Dunstan endeavored TO cut the animal free,
but it was only with the greatest difficulty
tina: he succeeded in severing the heshy,
muscular fiber. To his horror and amaze
ment the naturalist then saw that the dogs
body was covered with blood, while his
hairless skin appeared 70 have been actually
sucked or puckerei in spots, and the anie
nal staggered as if from weakness and ex-
haustion.
In cutting the vine the twigs curled like
living, sinuous fingers about Mr.. Dunstan's
hand, and it required no slight force to free
the member from its clinging clasp which
left the flesh red and blistered. The gum
exuding from the vine was of dark gray
lsh tinge, remarkably adhesive and of a dis
agreeable animal odOr, very powerful and
nauseating to inhale.
The native servants who accompanied NJ.
Dunstan manifested the greatest horror of
the vine, which they call la SdgendS de
diable, the DEVILS seine or snare, and were
full of stories of its death-dealing powers.
One of these stories was of an ElglishmaH
residing in Managua, who, while hunting
in the swamp few years before, lay down
beneath a tree where large and powerful
specimen Of this singular plant was grow
ing, and, inadvertently falling asleep,
awoke to find himself enveloped in its web,
and in spite of every effort made to extri-
cate him, persisted in its deadly embrace.
Another story was of an escaped convict
who had hidden in the swamp, and whose
bones had been found in the folds of the
sagenas only short time before Mr.. Dun
STAINS visit. These stories, remarkable as
they may seem, are firmly believed in by
the people, but the only three specimens
which Mr.. Dunstan was able to find were
all small ones, though the meshes of the
largest would probably, if extended in a
straight line, measure nearly if not quite
100 feet. He was able to discover very lit
tie about the nature of the plant, owing to
the difficulty of handling it, for its grasp
can only be torn away with loss of skin
and even of flesh, but, as near as Mr. Dun
stan could ascertain, its power of suction is
contained In a number of infinitesimal
mouths or little suckers, which, ordinarily
closed, open for the reception of food.
The gum exuded seems to serve the two
fold purpose of increasing its tenacity and
of overcoming victim by its sickening
odor. The plant is found only in low, wet
places, and usually beneath a large tree,
and, while dormant, seems only a network
of dry, dead vines, covering the black earth
for several feet, but, ming in contact
with anything, will instantly begin to
twist and twine upward in d horrible life
like manner, breaking out with the gum
like substance spoken of before. and enwrap
the object with a celebrity that is almost in
credible.
II the substance is animal the blood is
drawn off and the carcass or refuse then
dropped. A lump of raw meat being thrown
it in the short time of five minutes the
blood will be thoroughly drunk off and the
mass thrown aside. Its voracltv is almost
beyond belief, it devouring at one time over
ten pounds of meat, though it may be- de-
prived of all food for weeks without any
apparent loss of vitality. Mr.. Dunstan
attempted to bring away a root of the
sagenas, but it died during his return voy-
age, growing so foul with a strong odor of
real animal corruption that he was obliged
to get rid of it.