The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-02-02
PLANTS THAT
ARE CRIMINALS
Some Take the Life of Those
Who Approach Too
Near.

1t is a painful fact to consider by
lovers Of nature that the plant world
has its criminal classes. Among those
of sinister reputation is the death
plant, which is found only in the VOL
caniC districts of Java and Sumatra.
Its appearance quite bellies it's name.
for it is really very attractive, being
loW-grOwing shrub, with long thorny
stems, covered with beautiful broad
leaves. The upper surface of these
leaves is of vivid emerald, while the
lower surface is a brilliant scarlet
The flowers are great, white bell
shaped blossoms, which exhale a sweet,
and deadly perfume.
The death plant grows in the most
fertile spots, but all about it the
ground becomes barren Of vegetation,
and neither bird nor beast may come
within wide radius of it. They know
better; but rash man, with no warn
ing instinct to guide him, will Occa-
sionally linger too long in it's vicinity,
enchanted by it's delicious and heavy
fragrances, until he experiences the
distressing effects of his imprudence-
binding headache, which, if he still
remains, will be followed by temporary
deafness, commissions of the muscles
Of the face and finally insensibility.
The dumb cane plant is another ma
levolent to be avoided. Humboldt dis
America. He bit into it tentatively,
thinking it similar to sugar cane, with
the result that his tongue became par
alyzed, and he entirely lost the power
of speech for more than q week
High up on the Andes grows a shrub
which has long, acacia-like, strongly
scented foliage. 1t attains considera-
BILE height and offers a most inviting
shelter to the weary traveller; but woe
betide him if he rests beneath it's
shade for he soon relapseS into a state
of stupOr, from which, in most cases,
he can never be aroused, and death
ultimately occurs.
Another group of intensely interest
ing plants are the insectivOra, which
We're regarded by naturalists as insig-
nifiCant and unworthy of attention I'M
til the great, patient genius of Darwin
discovered in them a marvellous phe-
nOmena. They lived by catching and
eating insects which flew to them.
When he gave the results of his in
vestigations to the world he excited at
first no end Of ridicule. There appear
ed, for instance, in London Punch, a
number of verses, one of which was:
"Ah, Science knows each flower that
blows.
And all its wicked habits.
For aught you know. the lilies grow
By dining on Welsh-rabbits.
One Of the principal orders OF in
sectivora are the pitcher plants. These
tail, narrow tubes, growing so inno-
Gently in marshy places, were once
thought to be reservoirs of water where
birds and bugs might drink. 1t is now
known that the nectar eXuding from
these pitchers is q deadly opiate, and
that no insect entering these narrow
chambers ever returns. Their con-
struction is one of the most marvellous
things in nature, everything being
planned to attract and entrap the I'M
wary victim. For example, from the
tubular walls of some pitchers" a
wing stands out like atiller, and forms
a gentle, sloping ascent for those in
sects which cannot fly. Arriving at the
top, the luckless ant or beetle finds
that around the mouth Of the tube runs
heavy cord exuding delicious syrup,
which Immediately intoxicates the i'm
biber and creates in him a disposition
to fight. This syrup also extends down
the inner wall of the tube little way,
and the tempted insect crawls after it.
Presently a space Is reached which.
is as smooth as glass. Unable to gain
a foOthold here, the drunken explorer
slips over this as rapidly as down q
toboggan slide, until finally he lands
against rough walls covered with bris-
ties. This is his dungeon, for he can
never climb that smooth space above
him, so polished and shining. There he
IS doomed to remain until absorbed by
the plant. If he be rescued by ad-
ventitious circumstances, he seems abb
solutely stupef1ed and betrays a curl
Gus desire to stand on his head. All
insects are affected in this peculiar
way, from tiny ants to large beetles
Another group of inSectiVorous plants
are the nepenthes, which are imported
to this country from the South Sea ISL
ands. They resemble reddish balloons
at the end Of long strings, and are
really not SO much insectivorous as
carnivorous, for they capture quite
large game on their native heath, espe-
cially young birds and toads.-New
York Herald.