The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1904-08-13
FLOWERS THAT GIVE LIGHT
Phosphorescent Glow Emitted by
Australian Species on Sum- :.
mer Evenings.

When visiting San Francisco a few
years ago the present park commission
er Of Philadelphia, Mr.. Mauriceson, OBJ
served in the Golden Gate park OBJ
servatory species of Australian pop
by which emitted constant and steady
glow at night, writes John A. Morris
in the San Francisco Chronicle. AS Mr..
Mauriceson was aware that intermit-
tent light-producing flowers existed,
the constant radiation from these flow
ers caused him to think he was the vic.
tim of some practical joker, who had
mischieYously painted the flowers with
luminous paint. Acting on this idea
he secured one of the luminous plants
and took it to a friend, Mr.. Daniels,
an amateur microscopic, who made a
thorough and careful examination OF
the flower, and informed Mr.. Maurice
son that there was no foreign SUBJ
stance of the kind he suspected in it.
This phosphoresence of flowers Is
one of the most interesting studies
known to science; and it was the
daughter Of the Swedish naturalist,
AJluuCdUSs WAO uI6t CeA1C0 oStSAbhOA ~
the fact that certain flowers are able
to shine by their own light. Early one
June morning, 1862, while walking in
her garden, she first discovered radia-
tion of light from a number of nastur-
tiums. These observations she con.
tinued during June and July, ane
found these radiations occurred in the
morning or in the evening twilight.
The same phenomena have been OBJ
served in the corolla of the suntlower.
the French and African marigold. the
yellow lily, the dahlia, the tuberose and
the four-o'cIock The most luminous
of these, however, are said to be the
yellow of the orange-colored flowers.
Sir Isaac Newton says: "The most
luminous Of the prismatic colors are
the yellow and the orange; these affect
the senses more strongly than all the
rest together"
Prof. Haggern writes: "The lumin.
Gus radiations of the marigold have
found to be the most brilliant, next tc
which place the light given out by the
nasturtium, and, third, that of the vel
low lily. A careful microscopic ex-
animation has Convinced me that the
light does not depend upon the pres
ence of any animal organism"
Prof. Haggern's first observation o.
the light emanatipg from flowers oc.
Cured one evening when wandering
through his garden. 1t was a flash Gt
light which repeatedly darted from a
marigold in the center of the garden
Thinking it an optical illusion, he sta
toned the gardener in the immediate
vicinity, and told him to throw his
hand the moment the light appeared
The man obeyed and his signals CORE.
sponded exactly with the professors
own observations. He records the fac:
that the illuminations of the marigolds
of an orange or flame color were the
most brilliant, while those OF the pale
flowers could scarcely be seen. Prof.
Haggern thinks that the light was cleo
trical, and says that it was very much
like that emitted by a small Crookes
or Geisller tube when a current OF
electricity is passed through it,
Scientists, however, have disposed OF
that theory by immersing these light
giving flowers in Jars of oxygen gas,
when, we are assured, the light is much
more brilliant, while in other gases,
such as nitrogen or carbonic, no light
Is visible.
An emerald-green cavern moss called
schistostega osmundacae gives out by
its root-hairs brilliant yellow light,
Even decayed potatoes or other vege-
tables become fertile fields for the ex-
hibition of brilliant phosphorescent
lights. An alarm of fire was once raised
on the streets of Strasburg, France, by
a peasant who saw decaying mass of
potatoes collected in cellar. Some
mushrooms are phospnorescent. One
OF the most beautiful objects in the
world is the red mushroom of the olive
trees. The gills curve out from the
foot stalk and expand under the cap
into bell-like or trumpet shape OF
orange hue, which changes at night to
pale cobalt blue light. glowing when
they are grouped together, like fairy
bells of bright blue FIRE.
To the investigator Of such phenom-
ena it may be said that the best time
to witness flower fire is in July or Au-
gust just after sunset, when the air
Is dry and clear.
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