Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1898-02-10
SLEEPS AT NIGHT.
A Tree In Washington Which Is Some
thing of Curiosity


A Tree In Washington Which Is Some
thing of a Curiosity.
Near the western border of Du-
pont circle stands tree that has
privilege not accorded other shade
trees of Washington. Nature has en-
dowed it with what we mGItals CON
slider very happy faculty-name-
ly, to enjoy peaceful slumber ev-
cry night. Many shrubs and numer-
Gus species of flowers have time of
rest, either by day or night-at least
that is what we guess from the
changed attitude of their leaves and
petals-but this big fellow, who goes
to sleep at regular hour every
evening and i'll summer time even
by daylight right before our eyes
and in a public park, has method
quite his own in preparing himself
for the night. His action is so ap-
parent, quiet and curious that he de-
serves to be noticed-in fact, it is
somewhat to be wondered at that
nobody ever noticed this stranger
and his strange action before, not
even the very alert Waterman and
guardian of the floral display of the
park
That this tree is of foreign extrac-
ton and of high lineage there will
be no need of telling when we learn
that his namei is Allbizzia iulibrissin,
having been christened SO by an Ital-
ian 6otanist by the name of Durazzo
in honor of a member of the most
noble family Of the Allbizzi of Flor
ence, who probably had also been a
botanist. The tree, however, is a
native of Japan and known there as
the Japanese silk tree. Why it is
called silk tree is not known to the
writer, but the superstition is that
thesllky appearance of the blossoms
might have originated it. How this
tree came here and found its way to
Dupont circle probably only Colonel
Bingham, as chief of the public
parks and grounds and custodian of
the records and pedigrees of our ex-
otto trees, can tell.
Soon after { o'clock in the evening
a general motion is noticed in the
foliage, a culver or trembling of the
bipinnate leaves. Each leafet begins
to stand up on edge and pairs with
the one opposite. They clasp each
other tightly and then close up with
the other on the detiole, so that each
becomes coverlet over half of the
preceding one. The entire transfor-
nation takes place in about 30 min
utes, and usually at $50 the respira-
tory organism of this tree hangs
limp or droopy on the branches. It
was at first supposed that the APP
proach of darkness or the humidity
Of the atmosphere or even the
change of temperature had some
thing to do in producing sleepylike
condition in this tree, but numerous
experiments have proved that it is
not so. Little branches have been
taken off and kept in dark room at
an early hnl,r The leaves remain
ed exEandea until the hour of Z,
when tley negan to close as it they
were stiil ON the tree, and the same
action was repeated for several days
as long as water could keep them
fresh. There is a plant among our
own flora that is in every particular
like this sleeping tree-in fact, a
diminutiye Allbizzia in many ways.
This is the sensitive pea, Cassia
cam@crista, a weed growing along
our country lanes with yellow flow
ers and bearing a fruit, diminutive
pease. This little weed is, however,
sensitive plant, while the tree is
not so in the least. The former shuts
its leaflets when touched at any hour
OF the day, but at night goes to sleer
in the same fashion as the latter
Washington Star.