Evening star., 1939-08-05
Of Stors, Men
And Atoms
By Thomas r. Henri.


Of paint" to splash the surface Of the
earth green with lush pastures and
meadows and leafy woods.
This is the amount Of the green pig
ment in vegetation, chlorophyll, which,
because Of Its ability to act as an inter-
mediary in the transformation of water
and carbon dioxide into sugars and
starches in the presence of sunshine-is
a basic element OF all life on earth.
Mixed with this are 800, 900 900 tons Of
the yellow pigments which play an in
dispensable part in life processes. And
in order to produce the finished picture
nature must use every year approx
mately 23oo,0oO,ooO tons of colored Or
ganic plant material. The enormous
quantities of these pigments, all of
which put together form a very minute
part OF any individual plant, are given
by DR.. Frank M. schertz, Washington
chemist, in the current issue of the Sci
entific Monthly.
Says DR.. Schertz: "Chlorophyll is a
pigment which nature has given to
plants as a means Of absorbing energy
In the form OF light. When chlorophyll
was given to our earth living processes
could then proceed at tremendously ac-
celerated rate
If nature Is producing earth sub
stance from energy, using living things
as transformers, we can look forward to
the realization of the alchemist's dream
in the leaves of plants, where these forces
are most active. Under this scheme of
things creation is continuous and eter-
nal, for that which gives and sustains
life is continuously flowing to our earth
and to all living things.
Creation then is greatest where life is
most lived, where the species population
is most dense. The stuff of which we
have been made is here now and we are
part OF 1t, but the essense of the stuff
OF which we are being made, of which
our children and our grandchildren's
children will be made, Is yet to come.
Man is something far more than mere
dust, for he is continually partaking of
the spirit of creation
DR.. Schertz points to the close rela-
tionship between chlorophyll and hemin,
the red coloring matter in the blood,
which seems to be its counterpart in
the animal world. Actually, he says, in
natures scheme plants and animals can
be placed in single category. Man has
divided them into two groups, but all
are working together in carrying out ma
lures object-making earth substance
from energy.
Ellsworth p Killip, Smithsonian In
stitution botanist, has just brought back
to the United States from the Colombian
Andes collection Of fruits of one Of the
worlds most picturesque trees-the wax
palm.
This tree, which grows to heights of
close to 200 feet, and is surmounted by a
crown OF sllvery green leaves 20 or more
feet high, is found only in the high
Quindio Pass in Colombia and long has
excited the wonder of naturalists. Its
tall, straight trunk Is coated with shin
ing white wax which gives it the ap-
pearance of a column of alabaster.
These wax palms grow at elevations up
to 10000 feet above sea level While most
palms live only in warm climates. this
regal species endures temperatures close
to zero. The peculiar climatic conditions
at great heights, but almost on the
equator, makes this possible.
Department of Agriculture specialists
believe that the tree might be introduced
to the United States only at high alti-
tudes along narrow strip through Cali
fornia and Oregon. Elsewhere there is
no mountain habitat suitable to it where
the temperature does not sink too low in
winter. The seeds from the fruits brought
back by Mr.. Killip may make possible
this experiment.
Altogether the Smithsonian botanist
collected $500 varieties of Colombian
fora. The expedition was undertaken as
a cooperative enterprise between the
Smithsonian and the National Botanical
Institute of Colombia, part of the Ma
tional University, at Bogata. Eventually
it is hoped to compile complete cata-
logue of the flora of the republic.
While Colombia has been frequented
by botanical collectors ever since Hum
boldt, many Of the mountainous areas
remain to be combed for rare spe-
cies of flora. Mr.. Killip brought back
many ferns and rich collection of the
epiphytes and aroides which grow on
trees and obtain good deal of the nour-
ishment from the air. The collections
will be intensively studied in Washing
ton for species not yet recorded in scien-
tific literature.