The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1894-02-22
SOME MILITANT PLANTS
They Look Like Fighters and They
Do Not Deceive Their
Looks
The Pandanus Rehsxus Has a
Row of Spines sharp AS
Needlos
An the raim Family There Are Some
Champion The Jim CoFbett OF
the Collection.

"An organic beings. without exception,
tend 90 increase az 50 high a ratio that no
district. DO station, nor even the whole
surface OF the land or the whole ocean.
would hold the progeny OF "a single pair
after a certain number Of generations. Tho
inevita blerusult is an ever recurrent strug-
gle for existence lt has truly been said
that all nature ia at war. the strongest nj
timately prevail. the weakest fall. some
thing like this statement 10y the most celc-
bratcd Of the naturalists viii occur 90 the
ohservaut person without any skill In nat
ural history who visits the phipps conserv-
atory aud tries TO make ont the meanings
Of the curious features which so many Of
the plants present.
For Instance the big Pandanus reflexus,
which no visitor win pass unnotioed. 10
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 ACT trust that, or he will bee de
oeived. The leaf Is not like q sword blade.
only half OF IL s.. The whole leaf is Of
the shape Of half opened book. On each
edge aud along the center is a row Of
spines, which pierce like needles ]. is en-
uogenous- thrt ia. increases by internal
growth and eiongauon nc 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 10 keep animals at /
their distance it has sent out these spines, /
which guard it from three directions. 4 .
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 a barhcd wire fence The
pandanus. which is one Of 90 species Of
genus which inhabits tropical climes from
Africa 20 Polynesia, as 10 sticks out its
keen spines AMI threatens 90 puncture the
hide OF anything which comes near It,
seems 60 say, like the Scotch thistle. No
body can monkey with me with impunity
! am a fighter That is one reason why
Il is so big. It has made room for itself
In nature might is right-the weaker goes
TO the 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 t is an exam
pie Of plant protecting its young il that
is the way to say il. Three outer stalks.
strong and well developed, each with its
row Of sharp spines. inolose aud defend the
tender central stalks. The leaf Of a central
stalk, one may see, is not allowed to pass
They keep it behind them as a mother
might push her child behind her in time
OF danger This yuung leaf is kept in lead
ing strings until the stalk has grown so
that it can reach out over the others and
take care Of itself Meantime il will pro- |
duce set Of spines and Join the other
stalks In the great fight which is 70 deter
mine what plant is fittest 70 survive The
instinct Of animals j. wonderful, but the
instinct Of the plant is equally so. That
may be seen in the larger latania, which
states on its label that these palms were
discovered in south China in 1915 Il 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 ripened 1
they will not reproduce, and the species [
will suffer TO that extent. See the spines 4
on those branches around where the fruit
lies. Let an animal try to get into it, and
he would come out with sore hide The b
plant would scratch him like a cat. The E
pandanus is erect, and 20 its spines stick
straight out. ltwants TO prevent animals d
from pushing against it. The palm wants 2
TO protect its fruit, and so its spine points
downward as much AS TO say to thief o,
below, o. You come up here, and I'll lab
your eyes out Ia still another palm. the
great one just inside the main entrance Al
TO the conservatory, the spine, are inches
long, look like stilettos and form a per
feet cheval -de-frise. Man. with all his
thinking how 70 make that obstruction 20
IN enemy most complete, has not surpass- :
III the genius Of nature iu 30 directing the
points Of these stilettos a. 20 cover every
possible approach. As fighter this big
PheniN spinosa Is the Jim Corbett Of the
'almhouse, and il is great on style
That is Whist some 90 the other fighters
IRE not, as the cartusea They take all
orts Of shapes ia stature rising from
Keeping stems though there is none SO
arge in the couservatory-to trunks 30
Get high, but are neither beautiful when
mall nor majestic when grent. They are
90 abominably stupid 10 put on STYLE.
But what should one expect ~ plant
which wild grows ira bot, stony places and
When cultivated is entirely happy in
ANDY luam NAKED with brick dusts One
night us well expect STYLE iu those little
black Italians of the pipe lime. who have
been reared ou mush aud cucumbers. And
lac pity of IL is these cactu-es are Amer
can from WAY back. Pretty nearly their
'nly redeeming feature is that they eau
iKht Big ur little. they are ready 20 do .
battle. unless it De- those grauddaddics :
Nth the long white hair. which. liLe i
many men. gre agud looking without being ]
renewable add make one think they had
best beiake themseives tu another world
9r oil tne good they are doing iu this o.
Whoever 81 was that put the cactlisos and q
he sleepy and laafbrr Drained Young al 4
igator- iu the same house 100 tLs cousers-
tory .ad tu Inspiration. i4r hey surely
20 together Buf Chat is u0t 10 say that y
lese plants ARE uuiiftr-fiIg Far from
They UNCr many -uf.r..efl.Us a- t. tho ?