The herald., 1897-02-28
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
THREE INTERESTING PLANTS ;
(Written for The Herald.)
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.,

Three of the most dangerous of vege.
tative plants in the world are the ''can
nibal tree" of Australia, the death" OF
"grapple plant" of South Africa and
the vegetable python" of New Zealand
The "cannibal tree" grows up in the
shape of huge pineapple and attains
a height of eleven feet. It has series
of broad, boardlike leaves, growing in
fringe at the apex. which forcibly
brings to mind a gigantic Central
America agave; and these board like
leaves, from ten to twelve feet in the
smaller specimens and from fifteen to
twenty feet in the larger, hang to the
ground and are easily strong enough to
bear the weight of man of 140 pounds
or more. In the ancient times this tree
was worshiped by the native savages
under the name of the devil tree" a
part of the interesting ceremony being
the sacrifice of one of their number to
its all too-ready embrace. The victim
to be sacrificed was driven up the
leaves of the tree to the apex, and the
instant the socalled "pistils'' of the
monster were touched, the leaves would
fly together like trap, crushing the life
out of the intruder In this way the
tree would hold its victim, sapping his
vitality and life until every particle of
flesh would disappear from his bones.
The 'grapple plant" is a PROSTATE
herb growing in South Africa. Its flow
ers are purple, and shaped like the
English fox glove. Its fruit has for
midable hooks, which, by clinging to
any passerby, is conveyed to situa-
tions where it's seed may find suitable
conditions for growth. Sir John Lub-
book says it has been known to kill
lions
The following is a story concerning
fight between a hungry lion, inter
rupted, in his supper and a grapple
plant the deadly and destructive herb
Of South Africa.
The African sun was slowly setting
in a western horizon of palest blue
while from the east came bounding
along without thought or scent of
danger a herd of the hartebeest ante
lope. their beautiful red chestnut skins
glistening with color in the bright yell
lowish sunlight. Hungry for supper
they stopped beside patch of nabbuk
bushes to partake of the small fruit
which were plentifully scattered along
the ground
"On the other side of the bushes
stretched lion, tawny and fearless just
awakened from his midday nap. He
arose, stretched himself leisurely, open
ed first one eye and then the other
and carefully surveyed the plains be-
fore him. Suddenly he saw the ante
lope herd feeding on the fruit of the nab
buk bushes. The pupils of his eyes di-
lated, his head became attentive and
rigid, the firmness of steel crept into
the loosened muscles, the body crouched
close to the ground while to and fro,
quiverng with passionate emotions,
slowly swished the tufted tail Slowly
and cautiously, with every step con-
sidered the king of beasts crept upon
his prey.
'At the edge of the grass he stopped
and looked attentiVely around. A long
space still separated him from the near
est antelope. From beneath his shag-
gy eyebrows there oscillated flames and
fire; he paused as if to measure the dis
tance while gathering together all his
strength for the necessary leap. Then
suddenly he shot forward like an arrow
from its bow, and his victim was with
in his embrace while herd of fright
ened animals were scurrying in terror
across tropical African plain.
But along the plain came slowly roll
ling, propelled by the refreshing breezes
some purplishcolored flowers. Now
they rounded themselves into balls
slower, sometimes stopping altogether,
according to the varying strength of the
breeze; ard thus these treacherous
formidable looking little hooks swept
on until at last one lazily rolled under
the hindquarters of the lion as he lay
occupied with his victim. Unrolling
itself the hooks slowly got hold of his
taWry quarters, but the lion fed on un-
needing. But as he sat still occupied
wit iC ha
creep and curl most cruelty into the
flesh of the tawny beast until with a
savage snarl he started up and began to
investigate But investigation proved
useless, and all his efforts to get rid of
the annoyance by brushing it with his
paw were also unavailing.
The hooks gradually Tightening their
hold were now giving the beast consid-
cradle pain, until maddened by despera-
tion and agony, he seized the fruit in
his mouth and tried to loose it from it's
lodging place. But the fruit remained
firm. The lion now maddened beyond all
self-control tore away with all his
strength until the fruit gave way into
the lions mouth, winding its sharp
prongS into the tongue, roof and throat
of the poor distracted brute. Then be-
gan one of those tragedies of nature
which are every day being acted in some
W oSJ sidp pc VI lOlHl-lIdStultS dSOnlZ-
ing, awesome and horrible-a tragedy
ending in the terrible death agony of the
lion. Growing, moaning, rolling on the
ground, standing up, rolling again, run
ming round and round, standing still.
lifting his head high in the air. then
burying it in the sands, till becoming
exhausted the convulsions and twitch-
ings become less and less violent and
finally ceased; and as the African moon
forth its light from clear sky
perfect stiffness reigned over that habi-
tation of strength and endurance. Luna
and the stars shone down in splendor
upon the mangled antelope, the choked
lion and the buried seed"
The vegetable python which is
known to the naturalist as the clusia or
hg, is the stranger of trees. The seeds
OF the clusia being provided with a pulp
ana very pleasant to the tropical birds
which feed thereon are carried from tree
70 tree and deposited on the branches.
Here termination begins The leafy
stem slowly rises upward while the
roots flow II uara 5ou,n ~ +x,.I.