Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-02-19
MILITANT PLANTS.
THEY LOOK LIKE FIGHTERS, AND
THAT'S WHAT THEY ARE.

The Pandanus 0e0exus Has Row Of
SHINES which Pierce Like Needies-Soms
Yirhters In the Palm Tamily-Ths jim
Corbett OF the Collection.
can organic beings, without exception,
tend to increase at SO high a ratio that nc
district. no station, nor even the whole
surface of the land or tho whole ocean,
would hold the progeny Of . single pair
inter certain number Of generations. The
inevitable result is an ever recurrent strug-
Gle for existence. 1t has truly been said
tina. all nature is at war; the strongest Ill
timately prevail, the weakest fall" Some
thing like this statement by the most cele-
brated of the naturalists will occur to TIC
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 refexus,
which no visitor will pass unnoticed. II
has militans look from the root up, its
leaves or whatever they are to be called
reminding one of the ancient two handed
swo,d-that is, they do at first glance. but
one must not trust that, or he will be de-
ceived. The leaf is not like sword blade;
only half of it is. The whole leaf is OF
the shape of half opened book. On each
edge and along the center is row oil
spines, which pierce like needles. 1t is en-
dogenous-thst is, increases by internal
growth and eiongation at the top and has
no bark to strengthen and protect 1t.
Judging from appearance, one of thoss
long leaves would be easily broken by the
push of an animal, and to keep animals al
their distance it has sent out these spines,
which guard it from three directions. A
Young animal which ran against them
once would remember them the next time,
lust as calves and colts soon learn not to
play close to a barbed wire fence. The
pandanus, which is one of so species of a
genus which inhabits tropical chimes from
Africa to Polynesia, as it sticks out its
keen spines and threatens to puncture the
hide Of anything which comes near it,
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. 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
label, Latania barbonica, and it is par
ticularly interesting in that it is an exam
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 a central
stalk, one may see, is not allowed to pass
the older stalks, lest it suffer damage.
They keep it behind them as mother
might push her child behind her In time
of danger This young 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 it viii! pro-
duce set of spines and join the other
stalks in the great fight which is to deter
mine 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
on those branches around where the fruit
lies. Let an animal try to get into it, and
he would come out with 4 sore hide. The
plant would scratch him like a cat. The
pandanus is erect, and SO its spines stick
straight out. Itwants to prevent animals
from pushing against it. The palm wants
to protect it's fruit, and SO its spine points
downward, as much rs to say to thief
below, "You come UP here. and Ill jail
your eyes out" In stu another palm, the
prpat one inst inside the main entrance