Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-04
SOME CURIOUS PLANTS.
Oddities to Be Seen at the Botanic
Garden.
An Unusual Specimen From Arid
Africa collaborating Facts
About Orchids.

There Is new and wonderful plant at the
Botanic Garden Nothing like it exists In
any other collection in the world, 1t is be-
heved- 1t was brought all the way from
the interior of Africa. where in arid locali-
fes Of the tropical and southwestern parts
Of that continent 1t is found growing. But
u Is extraordinarily rare. and is regarded
by botanists as one of the most remarkable
vegetable productions of nature
The first known specimen was discovered
by DIR. Welwitsch. from whom the plant
derives its name of 'welwitSchia mirabilis.
II represents a family all by itself. of which
u is the only species. Where it thrives there
Is rarely a drop of rain, and the only nois
ture 1t gets is from dew at nightfall. This
habit is initiated by slightly sprinklins the
specimen at the Botanic Garden with warm
water every evening. II looks Ike a huge
sponge with hollow side up. The big, queer
looking leaves develop around the edge, and
q red flower springs from the center at the
proper season. The plant is said to live
400 years. but the only authority to back
the statement is tina; Of African natives.
Mr. Smith. curator of the Botanic Garden.
Is particularly proud Of his collection of
orchids. which embraces some rare and
otherwise remarkable varieties One of the
finest plants of this sort is now covered
with exquisite purple and white. blossoms.
II is called "Arnold's autumn-howered
laelia," and is a new acquisition. MIR.
Smith bought it the other day for 50 at auc-
ton, though it is worth $50.
Flower auctions are held in New York
city regularly twice u year, and are at
tended by orchid cranks from everywh here.
Great collections are made Tor these sales
by one business firm for which agents all
over the world gather rare and beautiful
plants. Auctions of flowers are likewise
held in London, where the idea mad us hfst
beginning HoruculturfStS gamer at such
sales in great numbers, some or them trav-
cling thousands Of miles for the purpose.
At one auction Mr. Smith purchased for $!
an orchid. the mate OF which was sold in
New York the other day for 500. the buyer
disposing of it the next day to a dealer for
1000. The plant thus secured fer the Bo-
tanic Garden furnished blossom which
Secretary Bayard presented 10 that famous
orchid lover. Joseph Chamberlain. for his
button-hole when the British statesman
with the monocle was in the United States.
a Siov-Growing Plant.
To grow another plant like this one would
fake thirteen years. with the greatest skill
that Mr.. Smith knows how to bestow. One
reason why fine orchids are So valuable
Is that so much time and such painstaking
treatment are required TO bring them to
maturity. Another species represented at
the Botanic Garden is the wanda tereS
sylket" This specimen began life thirty
five years ago at Syon House. near London
an estate belonging to the Duke of North
cumberland. When quite young, ii was
shipped 10 a hOrticulturist in Washington.
who sold 1T afterward to Mr. Smith Tor
$3.50. Seventeen years careful nursing
brought the first flowers. and since then IL
has blOomed every year freely. Orchids
differ greatly in respect to the number as
well as size of the blossoms they bear. The
flowers of some varieties are so small that
the plants are only interesting as curiosi-
ties.
During the life of the elder Erastus Corn
ing that gentleman, who was an enthusiast
tic cultivator of these vegetable rarities.
promised to his friend Mr.. Smith,a specimen
of a variety named after himself. the wanda
corningi." To grow the plant required
nine years. Meanwhile Mr.. Corning died.
but his son kept the promise, and in due
time sent the plant to Washington. Since
then Mr.. Smith has seen Mr.. Corning the
younger give $50 for a pos of the same
orchid at an auction.
One of the most interesting orchids at
the Botanic Garden is called the Holy
Ghost orchid. Its flowers resemble white
dovess Several years ago, when this plant
bore its first flowers, Mr.. Smith spoke of it
to a newspaper reporter. The latter mixed
1t up in some way with the wen-hnown
passion flower. stating in print that the
Holy Ghost was to be seen in each blossom.
accompanied by ten Of the Apostles. Next
morning crowd of 600 people was on hand
at the garden. anxious to see the wonderful
flower. When one woman asked where the
ten Apostles were, an Irish gardener re-
piled. why, ma'a-n, they haven't arrived
yet" The passion flower was so named by
an imaginative person who fancied re-
semblance in its structure to a cross and
nails, with ten men standing arOund-leay
ing out Peter. who denied. and Judas. who
betrayed the Savior. II is native TO Ameri-
ca, and, OF course, not an orchid.
Fortune in Orchids.
The "cypripedium." or 'lady's slipper"
Is the favOrite and most fashionable type
Of orchid at present. One reason for it's
popularity is that the number Of varieties
Is enormous Most Of them come from
high elevations in the tropics but some
grow wild in Maryland and Virginia. One
great cigarette manufacturer. who lives in
Rochester. y. Y. owns $4,000 worth of
cypripediur1s- Another New York man
named Manda has 100000 worth of these
orchids under glass, all raised from seed.
As is well known. tine usual method of
propaSating orchids is by dividing the
roots Plants of this description must be
treated with the greatest care and skin
The cuitivator last mentioned raises them
Tor MARKET In his hot houses they are
never permitted to get dry or to becor1e
place OF soil.
Ai1st of the plants in the col1actio, oe
TIE Botanic Garden did not cost the gov
erEsient cent, being obtained nv ex-
cti;.iSe from various parts of the world
-'IresS does not appropriate any money
fD: SIch purchases, and M Smith 3Cns
al 44S buying cut OF what he can cova
fra the sums furnished for pots ana otJ,ar
Miscellaneous expenses. Nevertheless Tho
money value of the plants under his charge
Is very large. One great feather- Min,
which towers to the very top OF the naSn1
house, is worth S1,Dph. Every year so,no
or its leaves. twenty feet in length have
TO be cut of, and these during the Iast
quarter Of 4 century have been sent to doc
crate the affairs Of Catholic churches The
so-called palm ordinarily used in chIIrchss
at the festival OF Palm Sunday is not really
palm at all. but species Of arbor vitae
There are 1870 different kinds Of palms in
the Botanic Garden.
Mr.. Smith has cut hundreds Of punches
of ripe and delicious bananas grown in
the hot houses Of the garden. One time he
got mold of a strange plant. which he sun
posed was b1nanc. and he sent a b,tucb
OF the fruit TO Mrs. Thacxera, Gen Shrr-
mans daughter. when she was married
The general ate some of the fruit and 1f
terward made fun of Mr.. Smith on the
subject. saying that it wgs not banana
at all. but a pla1tain. Mr.. Smith was
caught. However. the plantain is kind of
banana all the same.
4 Curious Fruit.
One of the most interesting plants in Mr..
Smiths collection is the 'rnonstero deIsciO-
o.. The name signifies ''monstrousIy de-
llci0T-s rsAfa-