, 1913-01-25

also belongs to the well known Virginia
Creeper which may be often seen covering,
like ivy, the walls of h uses in the United
States. There are other kinds Of teuirils,
which are not branches but are notifications
of leaves, for instance the teudrits which sup
port the common garden pea. Many strang-
ers visiting the West Indies, and meeting for
the first time with the Cat-Claw Biguonia,
must have marveIled at the remarkable de-
vice by which the plant climbs the trees to
which it holds for support. In the blgnonias
the leaves are compound, consisting of two
or of three leaflets. La this particular case
two of three leaflets are complete, but
of the middle leatet the midrib alone
remains, and this ends III three hard and
sharp claws, which turn down and press
their points into the cracks of the bark.
While giving attention to climbing plants
having slender stems, we must not forget
that some ultimately come to have
strong woody stems, such as the grape
vine and those strong lt0ltaS which III the
primeval forests Of tropical lands need the
machete OF the explorer or pioneer before any
progress can be made. The nearest approach
to this class of climber III ST. CrOlX IS the pud-
ding-leaf vine already mentioned, which among
the North side hills grows up among the high
trees, sending down long roots that reach
the ground.
Returning now to vines having slender
stems we come to the courteous climber"
which is the subject of this article. In this
case the leaf is pointed in form 0anceolate
and the point continues to grow and bends
over in a slight curl, which seizes the first
twig it meets and then grows round it, turn
ing several times so rs to take a firm hold.
The plant comes from South Africn, and us
soon as we see this action we know that III
it's wild state it grew in the bush land, and,
in the interesting way here noted, raised its
leaves and ultimately its flowers into the light.
Such is the eageruess OF the tendrils to
grasp something, that they may be often
seen grasping each other. This Is not so
meaningless, as may at first sight appear, tor
If they are near TO n stem rather thick Tor
them to curl around two of them can reach
round it and by g~rasping each other can
form a capital loop for holding on by. The
writer, pausing here, and examining a plant
near at hand, fluids just such a case. One
is reminded of II schoolboy whose playmates
wish to drag him away, but whom he de-
feats by throwing his arms around a post
and clasping his hands on the other side.
But it is time to tell the name of this
courteous climber Henderson, in his
"Handbook of Plants calls it Gloriosa, and
Asa Gray, referring to the plant, in his
"Structural Botany" gives it the same name.
This is rather a pretentious title, and IS
still more so when expanded into G1oriosG
saperbo. If you find it too much SO, you
may use On alternative name, which Hender-
son gives Us Methonjca.
The plant grows from q heshy root and
has a long thin stalk, which in the case OF a
plant now under observation has grown in s
or 9 months to q length of about II feet. The
leaves sit down close on the stalk and are
four or five inches long, without reckoning
the tendril which terminates them. They
are placed alternately on the stem, which is
Just now beginning at the end to branch
and to blossom. A distinct keel below sup
ports the leaf in nearly it's whole length.
The flowers are very handsome and have
some remarkable peculiarities. The plant
belongs to the Lily family and the flower,
as usual in that family, has the perianth*
in six divisions, which in this case are
rather narrow, but are deeply and beau
tifully waved in their whole length
namely about 3 inches. The colour his
tory of the flower is peculiar; it opens
green, then turns red at the tips, the red
colour next spreads downward4, and in the
meantime the lower part of the divisions be-
~