Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1892-07-28
MAD TREES.
A Tree In Australia That Acts as n n
Was Angry.

A Tree I'm Australia That Acts M n n
Was Angry.
There is a species of acacia which
grows in Australia, called the angry
tree. The shoots when handled more
restlessly, making the leaves rustic, n
the plant is moved from ono place "a
another 1t seems angry, and its leaves
stand out in all directions like the Quill,
OF porcupine, and did not quiet dowr
for an hour or two; the plant givinp
out when thus disturbed n very siclsen
ing odor.
when the sun sets the leaves fold to
gethcr, and the little twigs curl tight
iy. This closing of the leaves is not
however, a popularity of the angry
acacia, for other varieties do this, and
the locust tree, which is allied.
A late traveller relates in a letter TO
journal his discovery of snake tree.
The writer was in Mexico on a botan.
ical expedition. One day he observed
dark object on one of the outlying
spurs OF the Sierra Madre mountains,
which so excited his curiosity he ex.
amined 1t carefully through his field.
glass. He saw 1t was tree of such
unusual appearance he decided TO visit
the spot. He rode on horseback to
within few rods Of the summit, when
he came to an abrupt rise he could not
climb On the top stood the tree. He
saw 1t had long, slender limbs dropping
like a weeping willow. They had a
Shiny, snaky appearance, and at times
the whole tree seemed to writhe. This
curiosity led him again and again to
visit the spot to learn more, If possible,
about this horrible tree.
One day he saw a bird circle about il
Tor some time and alight on the top.
Then the branches began to move and
curl upward. They turned around the
bird, which began to cry, and drew 1t
down until he lost sight of it. The
botanist tried, as he had several times
before, to climb the steep. The rock
on which he stepped loosened and fell,
himself with it. He was not injured,
and he found the rock had left quite a
cavity. He looked in and saw quite a
cavern, and felt current of fresh air
blowing on his face. With his trowel
he enlarged the hole so as to admit OF
his ascent. He saw the fattened body
of the bird fall to the ground, which
was covered with bones and feathers.
He approached the tree as closely as
he dared 1t was not above twenty
feet in height, but covered a great area.
Its trunk was of prodigious thickness,
knotted and scaly. From the top OF
this trunk, few feet from the ground
was Shiny branches curved upward and
downward, nearly touching the ground
with their tips. On his venturing tc
touch lightly one of the limbs it closed
upon his hand with such force it tore
the skin when he wrenched it away.
The next day he visited the tree
carrying several chickens with which
to feed 1t. The moment he touched tn,
fowls into the branches they began t.
sway to and fro with snaky mo
ton. After they had become gorget
they were perfectly quiet and h,
ventured to approach and examin,
them closely. They were covered Will
suckers similar to those of the octopus
The blood of the fowls had been alb
sorbed, leaving crimson stains on thei
surface. There was no foliage what
ever on the tree.
Without telling anyone of his dis
covery, he wrote to Prof. Worden
haupt, an eminent botanist of the Uni
versity of Heidelberg, giving him full
account Of it, and in his reply the Pre-
fessor stated that the tree was tn
Arbor diaboli. only two specimen
of which were known-one on pea
of the Himalay and the other on tn
island of Sumatra. Prof. Wordenhaup
stated that the Arbor diaboli and tn
plant known as Venus hy-trap wer
the only known specimens growing O
the land of those forms of life whic
partake of the nature of both the an
NAL and vegetable kingdoms, althoug
there are numerous instances of thi
class found in the sea.
Wonderful as this account is, we hav
no reason to doubt its truthfulness.
know not why the sun-dew ought nc
to be classed with these singular plant'
The leaves are covered with what ar
properly called tentaclcs. Their
is slight depression in the cente
of the leaf, and when fly or othe
insect alights on any other part of tn
leaf the tentacle 1t touches bends owe
and conveys it to the middle; then a
the arms begin to move toward it an
clasp it. A liquid acid is then poure
over the insect, which dissolves what
suitable for food, acting like the gastr
juice in our stomachs bit of mes
placed in the cup of the leaf will r.
main unspoiled until digested, thong
piece just outside of the leaf wi
meanwhile become tainted and full
living creatures. The sweet, sticl,
substance on the tentacles attracts il
sects to their death.-St Louis Post-Di
patch.
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