Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1938-09-24

grown from seeds which are sold by
seedsmen. 1t grows readily in any
place in which garden beans will
thrive.
A never-ending source OF interest TO
botanists Is the telegraph plant or
Desmodium gsmen. The leaves of
this plant continually signal to one
another. One leaf will slowly beckon
IN certain direction to another leaf,
and this leaf will Immediately respond
by turning and bending slowly In the
same direction.
x+HH
HAVE you ever heard of the artil-
lery plant? The children would
be fascinated with this vine, on ac-
count OF its interesting buds, or pods,
for when the pods have reached the
proper growth and the cool air strikes
them, they explode with a popping
noise, and smoke issues forth from
their hearts. After the smoke has
cleared away tiny, forpet-me-not
flowers are displayed. Another inter-
estlng plant, with a strange habit, Is
the gas plant (Dictamus fraxinella),
which gives of an inflammable gas.
On warm evening a lighted match
held close to the pod will ignite the
gas, which burns with tiny flame.
The gas plant is growing, taking
three to four years to reach maturity.
Mother Nature, ever seeking tn in
terest and diversity, has cleverly shown
her skill in the tortoise shell plant.
the large leaves Of which resemble the
back Of tortoise; also in the plants
OF the maranta family. The leaves of
the latter are Of various sizes and
shapes and upon them she has drawn
designs Of other leaves as with a brush.
1t is unlikely that any Of the read
ers Of this article will want to ex-
pertinent with the Diffenbachia pjcta.
commonly called the mother-in-lav
plant; for the sap Of this leaf will
temporarily render one speeches.,
Whlle on one of his expeditions in
south America. the explorer Hum
boldt experimental with the pjcta.
and as result was unable to utter a
word for eight days, or so the story
goes.
The strange fruits of the Strophan-
thus vine (strophanthus sarmentoeus,
also contain most virulent poison.
The natives of West Africa, where
the plant was first found, make the
deadllest of arrow poisons from its
seeds. 1t is also drug plant of i'm
portance. Its seeds furnishing the
strophantin Of commerce. The flowers
OF this vine are strange but SNOWY,
the large white blooms havina ribbon
like petals or pendants, several inches
long. 1t would make an ideal orna.
mental vine for a pergola.
| The fact that its seeds contain q
poison should not discourage one from
planting 1t, any more than the poison
Gus character of the oleander should
make people afraid of it.
| The Hottentot tree is another poison
ous tree or shrub which halls from
South Africa. Among the Hottentots
IN Rhodesia. natives are put to death
for their sins by the plum of this
tree, which is said to resemble cur
own lovely laurel.
| Those interested in unusual botan-
| lcal specimens, or In experimenting
with queer plants in garden plots or
small greenhouses. can get excellent
ideas from the Botanic Gardens, at
the foot of Capitol Hill, or the Agri-
| culture greenhouses at Fourteenth and
Constitution avenue. The superintend-
ents and their assistants are always
glad to give information to any one
interested in plants and flowers. A
good reference book, giving a detailed
history of strange and unusual speci-
mems that may be grown in the Tenn
perate Zone is Bailey's Cyclopedia
on Horticulture