The sun., 1894-01-28
MILITANT PLkNTS.
Thcy Have ate Look OF Fighters, and Tb-rs
What They Are.

/
no station, nor even the whole surface Of the
| land or the whole ocean. would hold the
| progeny OF single rair after certain num-
Der Of generations. The inevitable result Is IN
ever-recurrel Struggle for existence 1t has
truly been said that all nature IL at war. tn q
strongest ultimately prevail. the weakest fall -
| Something like this statement by the most
celebrated OF the natUrallsts will occur to the
observant person without any skill in natural
history who visits the Phipps conservatory and
tries to make out the meanings OF the curious
For instance, the big FdHddtms reherus,
which nc. visitor, will pass unnoticed. 1t
has militant look from the root up. its leaves.
or whatever they are to be called. remind n q
one OF tbs ancient two-haDded sword. That
is. they do at first glance. but one must not
trust that or he will be deceived. The leaf Is
not ike sword blade only one.half OF It is
The whole leaf Is Of the shape of a half
centre 10 q row Of spines. which pierce like
needles 1t is endoRonous that Is, increases
by Internal growth and elonRation a. the top.
aud has no bark to strengthen and protect
Il. judging from appearance one OF those
as "a an and 70 Eesp
at their distance it has sent out those srines.
which guard it from three directions. Ayoung
animal which ran against them once would
remember them the next time. Iust as calves
and colts soon learn not TO play close to q
one OF fifty species Of q genus which inhabits
tropical cimes from Africa to Polynesia, as It
% punctuPs the @ hide n Of anSshnS @ whsS comes
near It. seems to say like the Scotch thistle:
Nobody can monkey with me with impunity.
j am fighter" That il one reason why. IL 10
so big. 1t has made room for itself In nature
might is right; the weaker goes to the wall.
palm house. Ono is easily found by its label.
Ldion,a bGrboncd. and it Is particularly In.
protecting its young. il that is the way to say
It; Three outer stalks; strong and well de-
n. 81 hssp
The leaf OF n central stalk. ono may see. 10 not
sllowed to pass the older stalk lest 4 suirsr
her, In, time Of, danger. This young Leaf
has grown 80 that It can reach out over
the others and take care OF iiself. Meantime
T set nhs, sn mSch SRf se
termins what plant Is httest to survive, The
instinct Of animals is wonderful, but the In
scent seem in II the f larger EatSna. which states on II:
label that those palms were discovered In
and in that ut the base of the branches the
fruit grows Care must be taken OF that. for IL
and the species will suffer to that extent See
tho spines on those branches around where
the fruit lies detan animal try to get into it and
would scratch him like cat. The Pandanus
Is erect and so its spines stick straight out.
against it. The palm wants to protect its
fruit. and so 2 its - spine ne, points doIpyards. as
%p here S aud iii jab You your % eyes out" In 'S still
another palm. tho great one just inside the
are inches long. look ike tilettoes, and
lorm perfect chrreiLL de JrLsP Man. with all
his thu nGlns how to make that obstruction to
the genius OF nature in so directing the points
OF these stiiettoes as to cover every possible
approach. As a fighter this big Phenir sDIhOsa
Is great on style.
not. as tho cactuses. Tney take all sorts Of
shaprr; IN stature rising from cresping stems
ssraory to tHunks tsry feet hsh IL 'hs but eon
neither beautiful when small nor, majestic
when great They are too a9ominably stupid
to put on style. But what should one expect
OF a plant which wild grows in hot, stony
places, and when cultivated is entirely happy
might as well expect style in those little
black Italians OF the pipe limo. who have been
pity OF 1t is these cactuses are American
from way back. Pretty nearly their only re-
dssmPs iR feature q thai they can ight Big Or
those granddaddies with the long white hair.
which; like many men. are aged looking with
had best be'a axe themselves TO another world
for a the good they are doing in this. Who
and leather Drained young alligators In the
same house In the conservatory had an inspi-
hot 10 say that these plants are uninteresting.
Far from It. They Offer many suggestions as
70 o ths humoTs OF nature and In their sphere
and look alive. They seem doubly stupid to one
who goes TO them from the spirited plant In
the other Tarts OF the con useryatory.
And even as one compares them TO the
monkey nuZzls. the ArduCdr,d uHbTIcdtd, the |
young thtiAn tree seen among them. The
AraucRnians were a south American tribe
n3tsd Tor their hghting qualities In the late |
lhlllan war the best soldiers are said to have |
been the descendants OF those Indians and |
The most capable statesmen and commanders |
Of that pucky little country are said to lie men
~ AraucaniAn blood. This tree is not unlike |
them. II Is calle IDiLi'iCdid because II stiff |
and hard leaves with points sharp. are imbri- |
'ated, or overlapping like tho shingles on a |
rAnget and It's leaf points SO needle-li like that |
i puzzles monkey to climb Ii. In II there |
= No sign OF stupidity. IL Is wide awake. on
quart AT every quarter, fighting or eve erythin.
nat would rob It, not only with Its weapon
Ike leaves, tut with such a placing ~ IT'S
branches az 10 prevent the agile monkey from
ascending II. In It's strength its resDluteness
Is capacity for selt-defsnce in It's dark green
Almost black, Il 10 reminder OF that valiant
ATaucanian tribe,
but Is there not lighting enough IN our own
iruEglt Tor existence that W" need dwell on
he hEhting quAllties Of plants Let us 60 and
ooh AT something different, at the sweet aud
.thclnls rIcIamhn. child Of Suuth heTu IuTOla
md western Asia. the embodi nent ~ the
nNsliAess o. nature. tu which some TePTObats
ause tho pigs ike the nulh Here You sec
ho hud "Dening, there the long petals shoot
NJ downward IN a tWisi, ypndsF untwistiug !
lal one after another rising at the call of the |
unllEnt and rnyeloping the bud ~ glory ~
NIuISlle white or Ilnk. STAY ana i1Ok long, |
ere nature IL tender aud mercilul anil viii |
TlNs out ~ Eulr heart the war,isa feellng |
touhed by 'hO SIGHT Ul the il.htins plants.