The Evening dispatch. [volume] (Provo, City, Utah) 1891-1895, 1895-01-22
LIGHT FROM PLANTS.
ONCE BELIEVED TO BE PURE FANCY.
BUT NOW KNOWN AS REAL.

Trees and Bushes Which Produce Won
derful Luminous Effects-Some Expert
ences of NaturaIists In Different Parts
of the World.
One of the early naturalists, Nine
Merriam, l think, describes an extraor-
binary spectacle which she observed in
Asia. Her party was moving through
forest at night when without warn
ing large light appeared. AT first dim,
it increased in size, growing larger and
larger until finally tree was outlined
in soft pulsating light
The natives were demoralized and re-
fused to approach it. saying it was the
sacred tree of fire. But the naturalist
had little faith in trees of fire and in
vestigated it, finding that the light was
due to certain insects, which, by the
way, has never been observed since.
That a tree or plant could give light
was deemed figure of the imagination,
yet today it is known that light giving
plants are not uncommon and among the
most striking and remarkable of nat
ural phenomena. Once in returning from
a days hunt through a deep forest in
the heart of the Adirondack region I
stumbled against dead limb of tree
when to my amazement L was at once
surrounded by silvery light that flew
in all directions, like darts and arrows
of fire, each piece burning where it lay.
This was an unusually brilliant display
of the best known of luminous plants,
the ''fox fire, f." or witches glow" of
childhood days.
To the layman it is often mysterious,
as investigation shows nothing but the
decayed wood, and sometimes a soft,
pulpy mass. The botanist will soon
point out the light giver in the myce-
lium of some fungus that has permeated
the old branch and fairly taken posses
sion of it, converting it into glorious
spectacle when disturbed. The vivid
ness of the light may be estimated when
it is known that print can often be read |
by it, and the light of some has been
known to penetrate through several |
thicknesses of paper.
Singular to say, the smallest plant is
often the means of producing the greatest
luminous effects. This is the diatom,
which the naturalists of the Challenger
found floating in the ocean in vast num- |
bers, and as the nucleus of the diatom |
is often brilliantly phosphorescent some
of the most remarkable displays of light |
observed by the naturalists were occa-
stoned by these little plants. But what
shall we say to sight observed by
Norwegian bark in the bay Of Funchal?
The waters here are fairly alive with
these little luminous plants the year
round, and on the occasion referred to
a waterspout formed among them. Dur
ing the day it would have attracted lit
tie attention, as the phenomenon is a
one, but the crew of the ship
were suddenly confronted at night by
literal pillar Of fire or light that extend
ed upward to distance seemingly of
/, 900 feet and moved along with de-
cided bend.
1t emitted pale yellow light that
stood out in strong relief against the
black night, a weird and formidable
spectacle, rushing on before the wind
An English naturalist, wishing to as
tonish some natives in wild part of
Asia in which he was travelling and
impress them with his supernatural
powers, secured certain vine known as
Euphorbia phosphorea, and rubbing it
upon a big rock caused the latter to
CLEAN with fame and present so re-
spectacle that the natives
ran, believing that he had set the rock
afire by simply touching it. The natu-
ralist was aware that the milky juice of
this plant, that resembled the dandeli-
On, was brilliantly phosphorescent.
In the Harz mountains there has been
for ages a cave known as the haunted
cavern. An Englishman, travelling in
the vicinity and hearing Of it, deter
mined to investigate the mystery. After
a long climb he reached the cave No
sooner did complete darkness set in than
5he phantom of the cave appeared-a
semblance to human form,
with arms outspread, outlined against
5he gloom. Making his way to the fig
IRE that had alarmed SO many wayfar-
ers, he found that it was plant that
grew upon the wall. 1t was the we'll
known phosphorescent fungus, Rhizo-
mospha subterranea, frequently found
in caves and familiar to miners Its
light is often so vivid that people have
read by it.
These curious lights are not found in
5he tropics alone. Some years ago Mr..
Morrell, editor of the Gardiner (Me.)
Journal, wrote me that he had observed
4 brilliant steady light in his garden at
times, totally unaccounted for by me-
,hanical continuance, and which, upon
Investigation, proved to be the phos-
9horescent light emitted by the young
If the plant Tianus stydticus.
Perhaps the most startling exhibition
vas observed several years ago by an
English traveller in Borneo Belated, he
vas overtaken by night, and there be-
ng no moon he was fearful of losing
lis way, when, as the darkness came
IN, singular lights appeared here and
here in the bushes and by the roadside.
some were yellow; others burned, or
seemed to, with bright greenish hue.
As it grew darker the blaze of light in
creased, and finally the traveller was
amazed to find that he was passing
through lines of luminous bush which
emitted light so brilliant that he could
read by it.-Pittsburg Dispatch.
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IT..
The decayed stumpis all that remains