Johnstown weekly Democrat. (Johnstown, Cambria County, Pa.) 1889-1916, 1890-04-18
A DANGEROUS PLANT.
1t Sucks tho Blood OF whatever Comes in
Contact with 1t.

Leroy Dunstan, the well known natu-
ralist of this city, who has recently re-
turned from Central America, 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 lotan-
ical and chronological specimens In this
swamp, which is known as San Sebas-
tian's, when he heard his dog cry out as
if in agony from distance. Running to
the spot from which the animals cries
came. Mr.. Dunstan found him enveloped
in perfect network of what seemed to
be fine, ropeike tissue of roots or fibers,
the nature of which was unknown to
him.
The plant or vine seemed composed en-
tirely of bare, interlacing stems, resem-
bling more than anything else the
branches of the weeping 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 his knife, Mr.. Dunstan endeavored
to cut the animal free, but it was only
with the greatest difficulty that he sue
ceeded in severing the fieshy, muscular
fiber. To his horror 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 ami
NAL staggered as if from weakness and
exhaustion.
In cutting the vine the twigs curled
like living, sinuous fingers about Mr..
Dunstans hand, and it required no slight
force to free the member from its cling
ing grasp, which left the flesh red and
bhstered. The gum exuding from the
vine was of a grayish dark tinge, re-
markably adhesive and of disagreeable
animal odor, very powerful and nauseat-
ing to inhale.
The native servants who accompanied
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 stories of its death
dealing powers.
One af these stories was of an English
man residing in Managua, who, while
hunting in the swamp a few years ago,
lay down beneath tree where a large
and powerful specimen of this singular
plant was growing, and, inadvertently
falling asleep, awoke to find himself en-
veloped in its web, and in spite of every
effort made to extricate him, perished in
its deadly embrace.
Another story was of an escaped con-
vict who had hidden in the swamp,
whose bones had been found in the folds
of the sagenas only a short time before
Mr.. Dunstan's visit. These stories, re-
markable as they seem, are firmly be-
lieved 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 prob
ably, if extended in a 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 diff
ficulty 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 infinitesimal
mouths or little suckers, which, ordina-
rily closed, open for the reception of
food.
The gum exuded seems to serve the
two fold purpose of increasing its ten
acity and overcoming a victim by its
sickening odor. The plant is found only
in low, wet places, and usually beneath
large tree, and while dormant seems
only a network of dry, dead vines COW
erlng the black earth for several feet,
but coming into contact with anything
will instantly begin to twist and twine
upward in a horrible, life like manner,
breaking out with the gum like substance
spoken of before, and enwrap the object
with a celebrity almost Incredible
If 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 min
utes the blood will be thoroughly drunk
up and the mass thrown aside Its vo-
racity is almost beyond belief, it devour-
ing at one time over ten pounds of meat,
though it may be deprived of all food for
weeks without any apparent loss of vi
tality. Mr. Dunstan attempted to bring
away root of the sagenas, but it died
during his return voyage, growing so
foul with a strong odor of real animal
corruption that he was obliged to get rid
of it.-New Orleans Cor. Atlanta Consti-
tuition