The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1890-03-22
II ABsoRBs METAL.
A Strange Plant Found in Africa
Not Susceptible to Fire.

Not Susceptible to Fire.
Professor Schelwisch, the well
known naturalist of Bavaria, while
travelling with the Stanley expedi
ton in the heart of Africa for the
purpose Of studying the fora ano
fauna of the Dark Continent, was
the first white man to discover the
metal plant, says writer in the
Philadelphia Times.
One day, while resting at a small
village near the foot of Mount Mi
losis, in the Umbopo region, Prof
Schelwisch noticed a 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
a force about equal to the same
amount of iron, and to secure leaf
it was found to be necessary to sep
arate it from the bush with file.
While Prof. Schelwisch was dig
ging at the base of this plant for
the purpose of making an examina-
ton of it's roots, the natives crowd
ed around him in great numbers,
gesticulating in a menacing man
ner. The professor desisted from
his work and the interpreter was
sent for. He explained that this
was holy tree and worshipped by
the natives in their fetch religion
as a God plant, and that to dig one
up would bring ruin and desolation
upon the whole village and the sur
rounding country.
Prof. Schelwisch offered to buy
the plant, and, taking out hand
full of copper coins, gave them to
the savages, who gladly accepted
the money and distributed it among
themselves. The professor then re-
turned to the work of digging up
this 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 had legally bought
the plant and intended to remove
it. As soon as the message was
made known to the savages every
one who had received a coin came
and dropped it in the hole at the
base of the shrub. Prof. Schelwisch
allowed the coins to remain in the
hole and walked away toward the
mountain to hunt another specimen.
Next day as the party were pre-
pairing to continue the march the
professor was curious to know if
the coins had remained undisturbed
during the night by the supersti-
tious natives, and on approaching
the metal plant was astonished to
find it had changed its color COM
pletely. Instead of being beauti-
full steel color the stem, leaves and
what was exposed of the roots pre-
sented the appearance of newly
coined copper coins, and glittered in
the morning sunlight like polished
gold. Upon examination it was as
certained that during the night the
strange plant had absorbed 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 texture of the plant had
undergone a similar transtorma-
ton. It was found that the thin
ivy-shaped leaves were now easily
bent around the fingers, would re-
tain any shape given them, and
could be readily cut with an ordi-
nary pair of scissors.
Prof. Schelwisch succeeded in
surreptitiously securing several
branches of this wonderful metal
eating plant, and was also success
full in obtaining a good photograph
of it, all of which he intends plac-
ing in the British museum. 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 uninhabited
region no difficulty was encoun-
tered in securing specimens to take
back to England.
While in this locality ample op-
portunity was afforded the mem
bers of the expedition to make an
exhaustive study of the habits and
peculiarities of this most remarka-
ble of all species of the vegetable
kingdom. By a series of carefully
conducted experiments it was found
that this plant would feed on any
kind of metal placed at its roots
and in a few days take on the char
acterist;cs of that metal, and in the
case of the softer metals often but
a few hours were required to effect