The morning news., 1894-11-25

with increduIity. but it has since beer
seen by many. and been named after Sh
Stamford Raffles, Raniesia.
No one would have thought Of finding
IN Sumatra giant ally of the little wake
robin but such a discovery came TO Bee
carr and amazed him equally as much as
did the Rafiiesia Dr Arnold. Beccari also
had heard rumors that the natives of a
Hover higher than a man, and=t that at GER
tain umes gave out an Odor that was fatal
TO man or beast. The Italian naturalist
did not believe the latter, and determined
10 make a vigorous search for the man
killing plant. Finally, deep in the forest
he came upon il. It resembled d lily, but
giant and from the center of the flower
rose spadiX that was six feet in hight
or as tall as large man. The stalked
leaves were ten feet long, the whole pc
cular plant taking up an area of about
lorty-hVe square feet. The diameter of
the spathe was about three feet, bell
shaped. with serrated edges of delicate
green tint, while upon the outside it was
rlch purple hue. The odor was not
poisonous, but was well calculated to keep
both man and beast at a distance.
a few years ago a friend Of Beccar the
Marchese Corsi-Salviati of Florence. pre-
sented a pOtted tuber of this plant weigh
ing hfty-seven pounds to the royal gar
dens at Kew, England, and one night it
bloomed, to the astonishment and delight
of those who saw it. The plant is called
the giant-arum (amospHo-phallus tita-
num)
Travellers who visited or passed the
cape Negro country of Africa often heard
from the natives Of a plant that was part
spider, and that growing threw it's legs
about in continual struggles to escape
1t was the good fortune of Dr. Welwitsch
to discover the origin of the legend. Stroll
ing along through a wind-swept table land
country, he came upon plant that rested
low upon the GROUND. but had two enor-
nous leaves that blew and twisted about
in the wind like serpents; in fact, it looked
as the natives had said. like a gigantic
spider. Its stem was feet across, and but
/ foot high. 1t had but two leaves in
reality, that We're 8 or feet long, and split
up by the wind so that they resembled
ribbons. This is probably the most ex-
traordlnary tree known. 1t grows for
nearly If not quite, a century, but never
upward beyond about a foot simply slowly
expanding until it reaches the diameter
given, looking in its adult state like a
singular stool on the plain from 10 to lS
feet in circumference.
When the wind came rushing in from
the sea, lifting the curious ribbon-Hke
leaves, and tossing them about, it almost
seemed to the discoverer that the strange
life, and was struggling to escape When
q description and picture of the plant
was sent to England it was like many
other discoveries discredited; but soon the
plant itself was received, and to-day
WelWtschia mrabiis is we'll known to
botanists, and stands first among the
unique productions of the vegetable world
The giants of the grass tribe are the
bamboos, and they attain a hight Of over
100 feet. The rattan that does not. grow
very high makes up IN lenSth, attaining
according to Rumphius, in some instances
length of 200 feet The ordinary cane
of commerce attains a length of 800 feet
The bamboo must have been the bean
stalk of legend, as it has been known to
grow one foot in twenty-four hours in a
Glasgow hothOuse, and in Chinese jungles
it often grows from to 2is feet in this
time, the grea test increase being observed
in the night SIX. w..
Some of the palms are giants even their
leaves being enormous, \ leaf of the Ra-
phia, a Brazilian palm, is seventy feet
long and forty in diameter Another ee-
nus, MaXimniana regia, has leaves fifty
feet long, while a single leaf of the Tall
pat palm of Ceylon is used as a tent
sometimes covering fifteen people
But of all the leaves that strike us as
being remarkable that of the Victoria
regia is the most phenominal. On New
Year, 1887, Sir Robert Schomburg was
sailing UP the Berbice river when he dis
covered the amous lily, with leaves six
and one-half feet across, with a rim five
inches high, bright green above and Grim
son beneath. Large birds are often seen
standing upon them and one grown in a
hot house served as a raft for little
child.
The seaweeds include some remarkable
forms on the south shore of Santa Cat
"a iGla nd ns.