The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1890-02-22
A DANGEROUS PLANT.
It Sucks the Blood of Whatever
Comes IN Contact With It.

lea, where he had spent nearly two
years in the study of the flora and
fauna of the country, relates the
finding Of a singular growth in one
Of the swamps about the great lakes
of Nicaragua.
He was engaged in hunting for
botanical and chronological speci-
mems in this swamp, which is known
as San Sebastian's, when he heard
his dog cry out as if in agony from
a distance. Running to the spot
from which the animals cries came,
Mr.. Dunstan found him enyeloped
in a perfect network of what seemed
to be fine, rope-like tissue ofroots
or fibers, the nature Of which was
unknown to him.
The plant or vine seemed COM
posed entirely of bare, interlacing
stems, resembling more than any
thing else the branches of the weep
ing willow denuded of all foliage,
but of dark, nearly black hue, and
covered with a thick, viscid gum
that exuded from the pores. Draw
ing Ihis. knife, Mr.. Dunstan endeav-
ored to cut the animal free, but it
was only with the greatest difficulty
that he succeeded in severing the
feshy, muscular fiber. TO his hor-
ror and amazement the naturalist
then saw that the dogs body was
covered with blood, while his hair
less skin appeared to have been
actually sucked or puckered in
spots, and the animal staggered as
if from weakness and exhaustion.
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 it's clinging grasp, which left
the flesh red and blistered. The
gum exuding from the vine was of a
grayish dark tinge, remarkably ad-
hesive and of disagreeable animal
odor, very powerful and nauseating
to inhale.
The native servants who accom-
panied Mr.. Dunstan manifested the
greatest horror of the vine, which
they call la sagenas de diable, the
devils seine or snare, and were full
of fstories ofits death-dealing powers.
One of these stories was of an
Englishman residing in Managua,
who, while hunting in the swamp a
few years ago, lay down beneath a
tree where a large and powerful
specimen of this singular plant was
growing, and, inadvertently falling
asleep, awoke to find himself en-
veloped in it's web, and in spite Of
every effort made to extricate him
perished in its deadly embrace.
Another story was Of an escaped
convict who had hidden in the
swamp, whose bones had been found
in the folds Of the sagenas only
short time before Mr.. Dunstan's
visit. These stories, remarkable as
they seem, are firmly believed in by
the people, but the only three speci-
mems which Mr.. Dunstan was able
to find were all small ones, though
the meshes of the largest would
probably, if extended in straight
line, measure nearly, if not quite
100 feet. He was able to discover
very little 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, so near as Mr.
Dunstan could ascertain, its power
of suction is contained in number
of infniteismal 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
it's tenacity and overcoming a vic
tim by it's sickening odor. The
plant is found only in low, we
places, and usually beneath large
tree, and while dormant seems only
a network of dry, dead. vines GOV
ering the black earth for several feet
but coming into contact with any
thing will instantly begin to twis
and twine upward in horrible, life
like manner, breaking out with th'
gum-like substance spoken of be
fore, and enwrap the object with
celerity almost incredible.
If the substance is animal tn
blood is drawn off and the carcass
or refuse then dropped. A lump 0
. raw meat being thrown it, in tn
short time of five minutes the bloo(
will be thoroughly drunk up ant
the mass thrown aside. Its voraclt.
is almost beyond belief, it devour
ing at one time over ten pounds Q
meat, though il. may be deprived 0
all food for weeks without any ap
; parent loss of vitality. Mr.. Dun
stan attempted to bring away roo
of the sagenas, but it died durlni
his return voyage, growing so lou
with a strong odor of real anlma
corruption that he was obliged t
get rid of it.-Atlanta Constitution