The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1897-05-26
THREE CURIOUS PLANTS.
The Cannibai Tree, Graphic Plant and
Vegetable Python.

Vegetable Python.
Three of the most dangerous Of Yege-
tativc plants i'll the world are the can
nibal tree of Australia the death or
grapple plant of South Africa and the
vegetable python of New Zealand
The cannibal tree grows up IN the
shape of u huge pineapple and attains a
height of / feet 1t has series of
broad, boardliko leaves growing in a
fringe at the apex, which forcibly
bring to mind IA gigantic Central
American agaye, and these boardlike
leaves, from 10 to - feet i'll the smaller
specimens and from / 5 to 30 feet in the
larger, hang to the ground and are
easily strong enough to bear the weight
of II man of 40 pounds or more. In tine
ancient times this tree was worshiped
by the native sayages under the name of
the devil tree, II part of the interest
ing ceremony being the sacrifice of one
of their number to its all toe ready en-
brace. The victim to be sacrificed was
driven up the leaves of the tree to the
apex, and the instant the SO called PTS
ills of the monster were touched the
leaves would fly together like II trap,
crushing the life out of the intruder In
this way the tree would hold its victim
until every particle of flesh would dis
appear from his bones.
The graphic plant is II PROSTATE herb
growing i'll South Africa. Its flowers
are purple and shaped like the English
foxgl0ve Its fruit has formidable hooks
which, by elinging to any passerby, is
conveyed to situations where its seed
may find suitable conditions for growth.
Sir John Lubbock says it has been known
to kill lions
The vegetable python, which is
known To the naturalist rs the clusia or
fig, is the stranger of trees. The seeds
of tho elusia, being provided with Il
pulp and very pleasant to the tropical
birds which feed thereon, are carried
from tree to tree and deposited ON the
branches. Here termination begins,
Tho leafy stem slowly rises, while the
roots flow, as 1t We're, down tho trunk
until the soil is reached Here and there
they branch, changing their course ae-
cording to the direction of any obstruc-
tons met with Meanwhile from these
rootlets leafy branches haye been de
Yeloped, which, pushing themselves
through tho canopy above, get into tho
light and enormously accelerate their
growth,
Now metamorphosis takes place,
for the hitherto soft aerial roots begin
to harden and spread wider and wider,
throwing out side branches, which flow
into and amalgamate with each other
until the whole tree trunk is bound III
series of irregular living hoops. From
this time ON it is Il struggle of life and
death between the forest giant and the
entwining clusia. Like an athlete tho
tree tries to expand and burst its fct-
tiers, causing tho bark to bulge between
every lnterlacing but success and FREQ
dom are not for tho captive tree, for the
monster clusia has made its bands very
numerous and wide Not allowed ex
pansion, the tree soon withers and dies,
and the stranger is soon expanded into
great bush, almost us large rs the
mass of branches and foliage it has
eifaced. 1t is truly tragedy in the
world of vegetation, Los Angeles
Herald.