The San Mateo item. (San Mateo City, Putnam County, Fla) 189?-19??, 1909-11-20

Plants Feel
and Move
THEY ARE SENSITIVE TO
LIGHT AND HEAT AND
RELAX IN SLEEP.

SASSASSANNHN
There is no doubt in the minds oil
botanists now as 10 the truth OF tho
theory that plants are sensitive to
light and heat and other external
stimuli and that their responses to
these sense impressions" are com
parable to the muscular contractions
seen in the lower animal forms.
The old fashioned sensitive plant
that willis at a touch was the wonder
OF our childhood. We may never
have noticed the droop that comes
over the locusts foliage as night
comes on, but this trait, noticeable
in the pod bearers, Is by no means
confined 20 them.
The familiar red and white clover
are two plants that show their leaves
sensitive to the light. People who
have seen the golden California pop
pies covering fields with continuous
Sheet of fame yellow in the middle
OF the day must have noticed how
Che color diminished with the Tall
ing light. A closer look shows the
flowers drawn up like buds into
pointed cone form by the overlap
ping OF the petals. II IS the atti-
tude OF sleep. The leaves also are
relaxed, their faces turned down. The
day posture is active, the night pos
ture passive.
The Starry English daisy is one OF
many flower species which close In
damp weather and when night comes
on.
Heliotrope is an old favorite in
gardens. It's name has an interest
ing origin. Find II in the diction-
airy. ssys a writer in Country Life
in America, and see II 1t is earned
by the plants behavior as you ind
II blooming in the garden bed OF a.
a pottsd plant.
Tho most amazing example OF
plant movement that resembles In
telligent activity Is seen in the Ven
us's fytrap, whose leaves are called
upon TO help the roots in securing
food for the plant. The leaf blade
is divided into two parts, a long
basal portion, which does the or
binary leaf duty, and rounded end
portion trimmed with splnes, which Is
specialized for the capture OF files
and other insects.
The two sides OF the trap face
each other like the opposite pages OF
an open book. TNa midrib Is the
hinge OF the trap. Three spines are
set aslant near the middle OF each
half. and these are hinged to the
green pad so as TO change their
angle when the trap goes shut.
Touch the face OF the open trap
or one OF the six spines with a PEN
ell tip or drop a grain OF sand on II
and the trap closes but 1t opens al.
most at once as II II realized the mis-
take. Let a fly brush the stiff spines
and the trap shuts, impaling the In
sect on them and fencing II In b.
the overlapping OF the spines on the
rims.
The fly has room at first to strug-
gle. but as the acid digestive fluids
are poured out upon the victim the
walls OF the trap draw In and the
nutritious substances Of the body be-
come dIgested and then absorbed
into the walls OF the trap and thence
into the whole plant. Now the trap
opens and the remnants OF the vic
TINS body are discarded. II usually
takes week or two for leaf 20
dispose OF an insect.
These plants grow in Doggy ground
from Virginia southwark. Specimens
grown in greenhouses are usually
damaged Oy being "overwOrked"--
bAited with bits OF meat, which
prove too strong food for the plant