The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1894-03-15
MILITARY PLANTS,
They Have the Look of Fighters, and
That's What They Are.


the whole surface of the land or the
whole ocean, would hold the progeny
of single pair after certain mum Der
of generations. The inevitable result
is an ever-recurrent struggle for exist
ence. 1t has truly been said that all
nature is at war; the strongest ulti-
mately prevail, the weakest fall. -"
Something like this statement by the
most cele brated of the naturalists 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
features which so many of the plants
present.
For instance the big PdnddHus re-
.feruS, which no visitor will pass unno-
ticed. 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 deceived
The leaf is not like a sword blade: only
one-half of it is. The whole leaf is of
the shape of half-opened book. On
each edge and along the center is a
row of spines, which pierce like
needles. 1t is endogenous-that is,
increases by internal growth and elon-
cation 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 1t has sent
out those spines, 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 a barbed wire fence. The Pan
danus, which is one of the fifty species
of a genus which inhabits tropical
chimes from Africa to Polynesia, as it
sticks out its keen spines and threat
ems to puncture the hide of anything
which comes near it, seems to say like
the Scotch thistle: Nobody can mon
key with me with impunity. I am
fighter That is one reason why it is
so big. 1t 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 la bel, Ldtdnia Jdrb0aica, and it is
particularly interesting in that it is an
example of a 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, enclose and defend the tender
central stalks. The leaf of a central
stalk, one may see is not allowed to
pass the older stalks. lest it suffer
damage. They keep it behind them as
a mother might push her child behind
her in time of danger. This young leaf
is kept in leading strings until the
stalk has grown so that it can reach
out over the others and take care of
itself. Meantime it will produce set
of spines and join the other stalks in
the great fight which is to determine
what plant is fittest to survive. The
instinct of animals is 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 1918. 1t has developed body, and
in that at the base of the branches the
fruit grows. Care must be taken of
that, for if the seed is not ripened they
will not reproduce, and the species will
suffer to that extent. See the spines
ar thnSn hy-nn aln
fruit lies. Let an animal try to get
into it and he would come out with a
sore hide. The plant would scratch
him like cat, The Pandanus is erect
and so its spines stick straight out 1t
wants to prevent animals from push
ing against it. The palm wants to
protect its fruit, and SO it's spine points
downwards, as much as to say to a
thief below: You come up here and
I'll jab your eyes out" In still an
other palm, the great one just inside
the main entrance to the conservatory,
the spines are eight inches long, look
like stilettoes, and form a perfect
checeur de trtse. Man, with all his think
ing how to make that obstruction to
an enemy most complete, has not sur
passed the genius of nature in so di-
recting the points of these stilettoes as
to cover every possible approach. AS
a fighter this big Ptenir spinosa is the
Jim Corbett of the palm house. And
it is great on style.
That is what some of the other fight
ers are not, as the cactuses. They
take all sorts of shapes, in stature
rising from creeping stems Though
there are none so large in the con-
servatory) to trunks thirty feet high,
but are neither beautiful when small
nor majestic when great They are
too abominably stupid to put on style.
But what should one expect of plant
which wild grows in hot, stony places,
and when cultivated is entirely happy
in sandy loan mixed with brick
dust? One might as well expect style
in those little black Italians of the
pipe line, who have been reared on
mush and cucumbers. And the pity of
it is these cactuses are American from
way back. Pretty nearly their only
feature is that they can
fight. Big or little, they are ready to
do battle, unless it be those grand
daddies with the long white hair,
which, like many men, are aged look
ing without being venerable. and make
L l.