The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1897-06-23
THREE CURIOUS PLANTS.
The CannlbsI Tree, Grappie Plant and
Vegetable Python.

The Cannibsl Tree, Grapple Plant and
Vegetable Python.
Three Of the most dangerous Of vege-
tatve plants in 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 i'll the
shape Of hugo pineapple and attains
height Of l. feet 1t has series of
broad, boardlike leaves growing in
fringe at tho apex, which forcibly
bring to mind II gigantic Central
American agave, and these boardlike
leaves, from 10 TO IL feet in the smaller
specimens and from ! 3 to 20 feet III the
larger, hang to tho ground and are
easily strong enough TO bear the weight
of II man of $40 pounds or more In the
ancient times this tree was worshiped
by the native saYages under the name OF
the devil tree, 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 pis-
tils of the monster wero touched the
leaves would fly together like 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.
Tho grapple plant is PROSTATE herb
growing i'll South Africa. Its flowers
are purple and shaped like the English
foNglove Its fruit has formidable hooks
which, by clinging to any passorby, 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 as the clusia or
fig, is the stranger of trees The seeds
of the clusia, 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 Hero termination begins
The leafy stem slowly rises while the
roots flow, rs it We're, down the trunk
until the soil is reached. Here and there
they branch, changing their course ac-
cording to the direction of any obstruo-
tons met with. Meanwhile from these
rootlets leafy branches have been de-
velopod, which, pushing themselves
through the canopy above, get into the
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 II struggle Of life and
death between the forest giant and the
entwining clusia. Like an athlete the
tree tries to expand and burst its fet
ters, causing the bark to bulge between
every interlacing, but success and free
dom are not for the 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
IA great bush, almost as large as the
mass of branches and foliage it has
etfaoed 1t is truly tragedy In the
world of vegetation. Los Angeles
Herald