Evening star., 1893-12-04
SOME CURIOUS PLANTS.
Oddities to Be Seen at the Botanic
Garden.
An Unusual Dpeotnsn Txoa Aria
Africa - IntsrsstAnG Facts
About Orchids.

There is a new and wonderful plant at the
Botanic Garden. Nothing like 1t exists In
any other collection In the world. it Is be-
heved- 1t was brought all the way from
the interior OF Africa, where In arid locali-
ties of the tropical and southwestern parts
Of that continent il is found growing. But
IT Is extraordinarily rare. and is regarded
by botanists one of the most remarkable
vegetable productions OF nature
The first known specimen was discovered
by DIR. Welwitsch. from whom the plant
derives it's name OF "welwitschia mirabilis."
1t represents family all by itself. OF which
1t is the only species. Where 1t thrfves there
is rarely a drop Of rain. and the only mois-
ture IL gets is from dew at nightfal This
habit Is initiated by slightly sprinkiing the
specimen at the Botanic Garden with warm
water every evening. II looks like huge
sponge with hollow side up. The big. queer
looking leaves develop around the edge, and
a red flower springs from the center at the
proper season. The plant is said to live
100 years. but the only authority to back
the statement Is that 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 "Arnolds autumn-howered
laelia.'' and is a new acquisition. Mr..
Smith bought it the other day for So at auc-
ton. though it is worth $50.
Flower auctions are held in New York
city regularly twice year, and are at
tended by orchid cranks from everywhere.
Great collections are made for these sales
by one business firm. Tor which agents al
over the world gather rare and oeauutuI
plants. Auctions of flowers are likewise
held in London. where the idea had its first
beginning. HorticulturiStS gather at SUCH
sales in great numbers, some or them trav-
cling thousands of miles for the purpose
At one auction Mr. Smith purchased for 81
an orchid. the mate of which was sold In
New York the other day for $500. the buyer
disposing OF IL the next day to a dealer for
Sl,OOO. The plant thus secured for the Bo-
tanic Garden furnished a blossom which
Secretary Bayard presented to that famous
orchid lover. Joseph Chamberlain. for his
button-hole when the British statesman
with the monocie was In the United States.
4 Slow-GrowfnE Plant.
To grow another plant like this one would
take thirteen years. with the greatest skill
that Mr. Smith knows how to bestow. One
reason why fine orchids are 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
Tnberland. When quite young, II was
shipped TO a horticulturist In Washington.
who sold il afterward to Mr.. Smith for
$3.50. Seventeen years careful nursing
brought the first flowers. and since then 1t
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 50 small that
Hr,rn rf1ar orrrrn rnzf-
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 S2S3 for pot 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
doves. Several years ago, when this plant
bore its first flowers, MIR. smith spoke OF 1t
TO a newspaper reporter. The latter mixed
it up in some way with the well-known
passion flower. stating in print that the
Holy Ghost was to be seen in each blossom.
accompanied by ten of the Apostles. Next
morning a crowd of 300 people was on hand
at the garden. anxious to the wonderful
flower. When one woman asked where the
ten Apostles were, an Irish gardener re-
piled: why, MA am. they haven't arrived
yet" The passion flower was named by
imaginative person who fancied a re-
nails, with ten men standing around-ieaV-
ing out Peter. who denied. and Judas, who
betrayed the Savior. 1t is native to Ameri-
ca, and, Of course, not an orchid.
A Fortune in Orchids.
The "cypripedium.' or 'iady'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, owns $4,000 worth of
cypripedIums. Another New York man
named Manda has 100000 worth. of these
orchids under glass, all raised from seed
As is well known, the usual method of
propaSatins orchids is by dividing the
roots Plants OF this description must be
treated with the greatest care and skill
4 he cuIuVator last mentioned raises them
lor narNet. In his hot houses they are
never permitted to get dry or to become
place Of soil. ~
Most of the plants in the collection of
the botanic Garden did not cost the gov
crnment a cent, being obtaineI bv ex
chanSe from various parts of the world
congress does not appropriate any money
LoF Such purchases, and Mr. Smith does
aLI ms puElhG out of what he can save
from the sums furnished for nots anI o,bs-
miscellaneous expenses. Nevertheless the
H'VheJ value OF the plants under his charge
Is FerE large One great feathary naln
Wt'lcn towers 10 the very top Of the naIrn
mouse IS worth $l.OOD. Every year some
OF lJs leaves, twenty feet in len-rb have
To be cut OF. and these curing the Ia st
quarter of q century have been sent to dac(
crate the c.Sars of Catholic churcbes Tn
so-caIIeI palm ordinarily used in Churches
at the festival of Palm sunday is not really,
palm a all. but Il species OF arbor yitae
There are I'D different kinds of ualrns in
the Botanic Garden. ~
AIR Smith has cut hundreds of buncbes
OF ripe and delicious bananas grown in
the hot houses of the garden. One tinos he
got mold or Il strange plant. which he sun
pOssd was banana. and he sent a buncb
OF the fruit to Mrs. Thackera, Gen. Sber-
mans daughter, when she was r1arried
The general ate some of the fruit and a =
ter ward made fun of Mr. Smith on the
subject, saying that il was not q banana
al all but d plantain. Mr. Smith was
caught However. the plantain is a kind OF
banana all the same.
Curious Fruit.
one OF the most Interesting plants in Mr.
Smiths collection is the ''mOnstero delicio-
The uauna sio,riGe-