Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-18
&C., u.s. az$ 1OO' Seventh Eve"
lager beer saloon plant" Its botanical

lager beer saloon plant" Its botanical
name is sarricinea. This plant brews
sort Of effervescent liquor in its pods and
then opens up for its customers. who walk
into the little apartments and drink of the
liquor to their hearts content Unlike the
liquid of the "all-night saloon plant" that
of the lager beer saloon does not prove
fatal by reason of any poisonous sub
stances in its composition. On the con-
trary, 1t produces a sort of exhiaration.
The plant Is clothed with fine hair and
the insects after drinking of the liquor be-
come half intoxicated and half tangle
footed by getting their legs in the hair
growth, and while in that condition they
tumble into the accumulated liquid and
are drowned. 1t Is said that both plants
thrive upon the substance that Is obtained
Tins. recent visitor to the gardens sug-
gested that both the "all-night saloon
and the lager beer salon. plants would
furnish fine lessons and themes for tenn
perance speakers
There is said to be a large variety of
the plants in the tropical countries which
brew or distill intoxicating liquors and
then when their. customers become help
finally feast upon them. Some of these
are known as the pitcher plants because
of their semi-blooms. which resemble the
pitchers used by mankind
Freak of Botanical World.
Another freak of the botanical world,
specimens Of which are on exhibition in
the government gardens IS known the
'mother-in-law plant" and visitors have
declared that 1t Is closely related to the
venerable mother-in-law joke. This growth
was discovered in South America by Hum
boldt, the great Prussian traveller 1t is
said he discovered the peculiar properties
Of the bush by biting into its large stalk,
the result being that he was deprived of
his power of speech for about one week.
The sap of the plant caused the tender
nerves of the tongue to become swollen
and produced temporary loss of speech.
The botanical name of this plant is def
fenbachia. !!
1t is related that the wife of a former
government official while visiting the bo-
tanic gardens several years ago bit into a
piece of the trunk of a "mother-in-law
plant as an experiment and became mute
for about seven days.
Supt. Smith of the botanic gardens
while on a visit to a neighboring city, en-
tered a business place where an auctioneer
was endeavoring to dispose of a lot of
plants using their botanical name of def
fenbachia.
why Mon" the government botanist in
the broadest of Scotch accents said, those
are mother-in-law plants. Why don't you
sell them as such?"
Auctioneer Took Hint.
The auctioneer took the hint and, de-
scribing the popularity Of the growth, sold
many Of them. The matter got into the
local newspapers and the following day
the auction room was thronged with curl
GUS people The plants had been selling
slowly at % cents each. After the publ
cation of the description the auctioneer
quickly sold his entire stock Of two hun
dred at rs cents apiece. Mr.. Smith then
informed him that while he might be a
splendid florist he was mighty poor
C1,o an6 dad 10 rvixy H.
of the late P. T. Barnums axioms, espe-
cially the one that urged the plentiful use
of printers Ink.
AS deffenbachia the plant sold for 25
in-law plant 1t brought three times that
amount"
Veitch's pandanis is another interesting
growth 1t was introduced and distributed
in this country by Mr.. Smith, superintend-
ent Of the botanic gardens. It was first
used In Washington as an interior decora-
ton by the wife Of senator at one of
picturesque plants that was Experimental
with household plant From that one
the first brought into the United States
has grown numerous progeny of 5000
that are decorating the homes of people
of refinement in many states. Mr.. Smith
explained.
Fig Rare Exhibit.
The majestic fig is rare exhibit at the
the decoration Of Railways and hotels. It's
polished. hard. fddle-shaped leaves, it's ro-
bust growth and its capacity to endure the
vicissitudes Of climate peculiarly fit It for
such uses. 1t has even been tested on a
long sea voyage, Mr.. Smith said. He de-
clared it is destined to become a tree of
universal use for decorative purposes.
There are several varieties Of the sensi-
tive plant on exhibition at the botanic gar
den. The leaves and branches curl I'm
with human like instinct when they are
touched. The so called weather plant" IL
believed to belong to the same family.
Among the other freak or queer bo-
tanics are species known as the 4.tele-
graph plants" They have long, gaunt
arms, 1t is said, which are waved hither
and thither during the continuance of ex-
tremely hot weather. The telegraph plant
Is regarded with superstitious awe, It Is
said. by some Of the natives In the coun-
tries in which 1t abounds. The waving OF
the long arms In the moonlight is said to
produce weird and ghostlike effect These
-uncanny growths are sometimes termed
"signal plants" because the movements of
their boughs resemble those OF the arms
of the semaphores. which were used for
signaling messages before the invention of
thu electric telegraph.