The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-03-03
/ MILITANT PLANTS.
THEY LOOK LIKE FIGHTERS, AND
THAT'S WHAT THEY ARE.

ThC Pandanus ReHeHus Has n Row of
Spines Which Pierce Like eNeedles-9omo
Fighters In tho Palm Family-Thc Jim
Corbett of the Collection.
"All organic beings, without exception,
tend to increase at 50 high ratio that no
district, no station, nor even the whole
surface Of the land or the whole ocean,
would hold the progeny of single pair
after certain number of generations. The
inevitable result is an ever recurrent strug-
gle for existence. 1t has truly been said
that all nature is at war; the strongest ul-
timately prevail, the weakest fall. Some
thing like this statement by the most ccle-
brated Of the naturalists will occur to the
observant person without any skill in nat
ural history who visits the phipps conserv-
atory and tries to make out the meanings
Of the curious features which so many Of
the plants present.
For instance, the big Pandanus renexus,
which no visitor will pass unnoticcd. 1t
has militant look from the root up, its
leaves or whatever they are to be called
reminding one of the ancient two handed
sword-that is, they do at first glance, but
one must not trust that, or he will be de
ceived The leaf il not like sword blade;
only half of it Is. The whole leaf is of
the shape of II half opened book On each
edge and along the center is row of
spines, which pierce like needles. Il ia en-.
dogenous-thGt is, increases by internal
growth and eiongation at the top and has
no bark to strengthen and protect it,
Judging from appearance, one of those
long leaves would be easily broken by the
push of an animal, and to keep animals at
their distance it has sent out these spnes,
which guard it from three directions A
young animal which ran against them
once would remember them the next time,
just as calves and colts soon learn not to
play close to q barbed wire fence. The
pandanus, which is one of so species of n
genus which inhHbits tropical climes from
Africa to Polynesia, as it sticks out its
keen spines and threatens TO puncture the
hide of anything which comes near IL,
seems TO say, like the Scotch thistle "No.
body can monkey with me with impunity
am fighter That Is one reason why
it is so big. It has made room for itself
In nature might is right--the weaker goes
to tho wall
Some other fighters will be found in the
palm house. One Is easily found by its
label, Latania barbonica, and IL is par
ticularly interesting in that it is au exum-
pie of plant protecting its young, If that
is the way to say it. Three outer stalks,
strong and well developed, each with its
row OF sharp spines, inclose and defend the
tender central stalks. The leaf of n central
stalk, one may see, is not allowed to pass
the older stalks, lest IL suffer damage.
They keep 1t behind them as n mother
might push her child behind her in time
OF danger. This young leaf ia kept in lead
ing strings until tho stalk has grown so
that 1t can reach out over the Others and
take caro- Of itself Meantime it will pro.
duce set Of spines and join the other
stalks in the great fight which 10 to deter.
mine what plant is flttest to survive. The
instinct of animals Is wonderful, but the
instinct Of the plant is equally no. That
may be seen in the larger lntania, which
states on its label that these palms were
discovered In south China in 1918. 1t has
developed body, and in that at the base OF
the branches the fruit grows Care must be
taken of that for II the seed Is not ripenod
they will not reproduce, and tho species
will suffer to that extent. See the spines
on those branches around where the fruit
lies. Let an animal try to get into 1t, and
he would como out with sore hide. The
plant would scratch him like cat. The
psOdanus is erect, and 80 its spines stick
straight out. Itwants to prevent animals
from pushing against it, The PALM vents