Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1890-08-30
PECULIAR PLANTS.
ATTRACTIONS OF THE WHITE
HOUSE CONSERVATORY.

Al IhA0I1ONS Or 1hA1 w MA u
HOUSE CONSERVATORY.
a Big Old Sage PaIm-A Lily With
Leaves Five Feet IN Diameter
The Artillery Plant
Venus Flytrap.
Curious plants abound in the White
House conservatory, and the history OF
some of them is decidedly interesting to
visitors who arc permitted to inspect this
attachment to the Executive Mansion at
Washington. Probably the plant to
which the gardeners are most attached is
the big sage palm, the age of which is
fixed at 250 years 1t was from time i'm
memorial one of the attractions of Wash
ington's conservatory at Mount Vernon,
and before his death he presented it to
friend in Baltimore, who made special
ty of collecting palms. Upon the death
of the Baltimorean his estate was settled,
and gardener from the White House re-
ceived the precious sage palm. For up
ward of forty years it has been located be-
tween the doors leading into the State din
ing room and the private corridor at the
base of the stairway used by the family
of the White House, and it is usually the
first object to greet the visitors going
from the mansion. One popularity no.
ticed about the plant is that one year it
will throw out crown of leaves, prob
ably fifty or sixty in number, and the
succeeding year it will content itself
with Towering. When the foliage is full,
as at present, the plant 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 is large earthen pot from which
springs beautiful and novel cluster of
leaves known as the Australian bird S
nest fern, the leaves being from three to
four feet long and attaining width of
six to ten inches. As its name implies,
this fern is favorite with birds who do
not care to 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
hurry bed eggs are deposited, and when
Matched the brood leaves for other quar-
tiers and the nest only awaits another &C.
crpant.
Several years ago Gardener Pfister re-
ceived from friend in Brazil rare
specimen of the orchid family, which he
trFated with the attention it deserved.
Upon opening the package he discovered
Il seeding of some sort astray, and he
took personal charge of it, and was
aosndantly recompensed for his trouble.
1t turned out to be a magnificent lily,
the botanic name being Anthurium
ventricosum, and it thrived remarkably
under the course of treatment prescribed
by the White House gardener. Subse.
Guently it was ascertained that only ono
ether specimen of this lily is owned outside
of Brazil, and that is by the Kew Garden
az London, England. Botanists and
those who make speciality of rare plants
vslue the find at upward of $1,000, and
the flower, which is creamy white,
spotted at the base with maroon, has a
fragrant odor not unlike that of mag
nolia grandifora. 1t is now in a pot
sixteen inches in diameter, and tho
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 TIE White House con-
servatory is small red one, which is
named the artillery plant, from pecu-
linr habit that it has. One of the
brarches, containing small red buds, if
dhnpened in water will cause swelling
and bursting, the pollen popping into the
ar ike the smoke puffs from a cannon.
After all the buds have burst the plant
looits as if fine white snow had fallen
upon the blooms, which are shaped not
Unlike small Maltese crosses
Illinging closely to the brick walls OF
the orchid house, which IS on the west
of :he big conservatory, there is a curious
locking running plant, the leaves Of
which appear to have been pasted against
tie walls and smoothed out. This is the
famous single plant, a native of the
West Indies, and said to possess diuretic
qualities. Its leaves are deep greer
and egg shaped, and it Justly ranks as
one of the curiosities of the vegetable
kingdom when its tendency is shown 20
interested spectators.
From South Carolina's lowlands con
tribution has been made which is known
as the Venus fiytrap, from the fact that
it first imprisons and then kills flies, ouly
opening when the victim is dead. 1t Ii
formed not unlike shell, and the edges
have hlrsute growth which possess a
remarkable fascination for flies. They
will crawl into the soft material and en-
deavor to suck the sweets below, but the
plant closes Ger then, aud when it I'M
folds the IN gary flies fall off one side
dead.
There are also many varieties OF
pitcher plants in these greenhouses, which
are termed insectiverous from the fact
that they are very destructive to the
lives If their visitors. These plants can
be found all the way from South Caro-.
hnA to New Jersey on the Atlantic coast,
AID many of the varieties are common in
California. Among the insectiverous
plants at the White House probably the
rarest is the nepeutes. a native of the
East Indies, and which is said to contain
pepsin in its pitcher-like cell. French
savants are conducting series of exper
iments now with these plants, and it i,
stated that their contents will be found
highly beneficial to dyspeptics. Usually
the pitcher in the nepentes is found at
the end of the leaf, and is a cream color
and very pretty .-New FORK Sun.