Wichita eagle., 1890-03-06


| Africa Adds a Phenomenon to the Veg
| etabIe World Which VIII Be of Great
| Commercial Value.
Professor Schelwisch, the well known nat
uraiist Of Bavaria, while travelling with the
Stanley expedition in the heart of Africa for
the purpose of studying the fora and fauna
! of the dark continent, was the first white man
| to discover this strange plant.
One day while resting at a small village
near the foot Of Mount Muosis, in the limbo
20 region, Professor Schelaisch noticed
plant with peculiar steel colored foliage,
and on examination it was found that tie
| 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 force about
6.ual to the same amount OF iron, and to Sc
cure leaf it was found TO be necessary TO
separate it from the bush with file.
While Professor Scnelwisch v as digging at
the base of this plant for the purpose of max
ing an examination Of its roots, the natives
crowded arouRd him in great numbers, ges-
ticulating in menGcing manner. The pro-
fessor desisted from his work and the inter
prefer was sent for He explained that this
was holy tree and worsliped by the natives
in their fetch religion as a God plant, and
that to dig one up would bring ruin and des-
olation upon the whole village and Surround
ing country.
Professor Schelwisch offered to buy the
plant, and taking out a handful Of copper
coins, gave them to the savagcs, who gladly
81, IL
themselves. The professor then returned TO
the worl, Of digging up the 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 this message was
made known to the sayages every one who
had received a coin came and dropped it in
the hole at the base OF the shrub. Professor
Schelwisch allowed the coins to remain in the
hole and walked away toward the mountain
to hunt another specimen.
IT'S STRANGE PROPERTIES DISCOVERED.
Next day, as the party were preparing to
continue the march, the professor was curl
Gus TO know if the coins had remained unds-
turbed during the night by the superstitous
natives, and on approaching the metal plant
was ast0nished to find = had changed its color
completely. Instead Of being a beautiful
steel color, the stem, leaves and what was ex-
posed of the roots presented the appearance
OF newly coined copper coins and glittered in
the morning sunlight like polished gold.
Upon examination it was ascertained that
during the night the strange plant had ab-
sorbed nearly all the copper coins, with the
result of completely changing its color.
What was left OF the coius i'll the hole showed
that they were more than half eaten away or
absorbed by the roots Of ihe metal plant
Not only was the color changed, but the text
ure Of the plant had undergone a similar
transformation. 1t was found that the thin
ivy shaped leaves were now easily bent
around the fingers, would retain any shape
given them and could be readily cut with an
ordinary pair of scissors.
Professor Schelwisch succeeded in surrep-
titiously securing several branches of this
wonderful metal eating plant. and was also
successful in obtaining good photograph Of
il. No further trace OF the existence of the
metal plant was found until the expedition
reached the Unianesi country, when at the
base Of the Nhomabakosi mountains perfect
forest Of this curious plant was found. This
being a. urinhabited region no difficulty was
encountered in securing specimens TO take
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