The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1890-10-08
WHITE HOUSE PLANTS.
Rare and Curious Specimens That Attract
tho Attention Of Visitors.

Rare and Curious Specimens That Attease
tho Attention Of Visitors:
Curious plants abound in tho White
House conservatory, and the history of
some OF them is decidedly interesting
to visitors who are permitted to inspeet
this attachments tie the Executive Man:
sion. Probably the plant to which the
gardeners are most attached is the big
sage palm, the age of which Is hxed al
25e, years. It was from time immemo-
rial one OF the attractions of Washing
toms conservatory at Mount Vernon,
and before his death he presented IL I'd
friend in Baltimore, who i1ade d
speciality Of collecting palms. Upon
tho death of the Baltiinorean
his estate was settled, and a
gardener from the White House
feceived the precious sage palm.
For upward of forty years it has
been located between the doors lending
into the state dinihg-r5om and the pri.
vaee corridor at the base of the stail way
used by the family of the White House,
and it is usually the first object to greet
visitors from the mansion: 6ne be-
cnliarity noticed aboGt the plant is THAT
one year it will throw out crown OF
leaves, probably fifty or sixty in rum
Der, and the succeeding year it will Con-
tent itself with Towering, Wheb ths
foliage is full, az ct PRESENT. the pant
measures twelve feet in diameter and
the trunk has a diameter OF fourteen
inches. Almost at the base of the
big square box containing the sage i
a large eartheh psh ffoFa which
springs beautiful and novel cluster Of
leaves Known as the Australian BIRDS
nest fern, the leaves being from three
to four feet long and attaining width
of six to ten inches As Its name itts
plies, this fern Is favorite With birds
whe do not care Ia be troubled about
gathering materials for their nests but
find an agreeable substitute already
formed of the hirsute attachment from
which the leaves appear to spring. In
this soft hairy bed eggs are deposited,
and when Matched the brood leaves fer
other quarters, and the hest only awaits
another occupant
Several years ago Gardener Pfiester
received from friend in Brazil a
rare specimen of the orchid family;
which he treated with the attefittoh
IL deserved. Upon opening the pack
age he discovered Seeding Of some
sort astray, and he took personal
charge of it, and was abundantly recon-.
pensed for his trouble. It turned out to
be magnificent lily, the botanic name
being antharium vepricosum, and it
thrived remarkably under the treatment
prescribed by the White House gardeps
or. Subsequently it was ascertaihed
that only one other Specimen of this
lily is owned outside of Brazil, and that
| is by the Kew Garden at London, En-
gland. Botanists, and those who make
a speciality of rare plants, value the find
at upward of $1,000, and the fower
which is creamy white, spotted at the
base with maroons, has fragrant odor
not unlike that of magnolia grandi-
fora. 1t is now in a pot sixteen
inches in diameter, and the beautiful
green leaves are at least five feet
in diameter: Half dozen shoots or
seedlings have been taken from the
parent lily, and one Of them is being
cultivated at the Government botanic
garden, adjacent to the Capitol building
on the avenue.
Probably plant that attracts as
much attention as any in the White
House conservatory is small red one,
which is named the artillery plant,
from peculiar habit that it has. One
of the branches containing small, red
buds, if dampened in water will cause q
swelling and bursting, the pollen pop
ping into the air like the smoke puffs
from a cannon. After all the buds have
burst the plant looks as if fine white
snow had fallen upon the blooms, which
arc shaped not unlike small Maltese
crosses. Cor. N. Y. Sun.
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