Freaks and marvels of plant life; or, Curiosities of vegetation

December 10, 2017 | Author: Tee Sorensizzle | Category: Eucalyptus, Trees, Botany, Plants, Science
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A dated but still interesting tome about unusual plants. Includes carnivorous plants, sensitive plants, plants that &quo...

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Freaks and Marvels OF

Plant Life

^'L

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^'4'

FREAKS OF PLANT

LIFE.

FREAKS AND MARVELS LIBRARY

PLANT LIFE;

YORK BOTANICAL ^'e'w

GARDcrS

OR,

CURIOSITIES OF VEGEIATION

BV

M.

C.

COOKE, M.A.

LL.D.

AUTHOR OF PONDS AND DITCHES," " THE WOODLANDS,"

ETC. ETC.

FOURTH THOUSAND.

PUBLISHED UMDEK THE DIRECTION OF THE COiMMITTEE OF GENERAL LITERATURE AND EDUCATION APPOINTED BY THE SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE.

LONDON SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE, NORTHUMBERLAND AVENUE, CHARING CROSS, S.W. ;

43,

QUEEN VICTORIA STREET, E.G. 48, PICCADILLY, AND 133, NORTH STREET, BRIGHTON. ;

New York

:

E.

&

J.

1882.

B.

Young &

Co.

W.

;

CONTENTS. CHAPTER I.

-j1

III.

VENUS'S FLY-TRAP

50

IV.

SIDE-SADDLE FLOWERS

72

V.

VL VIL VIIL IX.

•^

%

riTCHER-PLANTS

MINOR CARNIVORA.

...'.,.

GYRATION OF PLANTS

150

HELIOTROPES, OR SUNFLOWERS

TWINERS AND CLIMBERS

122

.

.

....

I/O 1

84

SENSITIVE PLANTS

220

XL

SLEEP OF PLANTS

239

METEORIC FLOWERS

259

XIH.

HYGROSCOPISM

275

XIV.

DISPERSION

291

MIMICRY

321

GIANTS

345

TEMPERATURE

37

'

XV.

XVL

g^j

XVIL

0^

XVIIL

U'J

XIX.

c>

'>

X.

XIL

•"^^

I

J^i7£-C

THE SUNDEWS

II.

.

INTRODUCTION

XX.

LUMINOSITY

383

MYSTIC PLANTS

4OI

FLOWERS OF HISTORY

446

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

page

fk;. 1.

Round-leaved Sundew,

2.

Section of gland of

3.

Leaf with tentacles of

4.

Venus's Fiy-trap, Dioncea miiscipida

51

5.

\.&zS oi Aldrovanda, enlarged

68

6.

Glands on leaf of Drosophylhtm, magnified

69

7.

Pitchers of Sarraccnia variolaris, reduced

8.

Pitcher of irtrr^rt-w/a

9.

San-accnia purpurea

7^

Pitchers of Darlingtonia

96

10.

Z>;-(7Ji.v«

r^/z/W^vVi?

Z'/'^j^ra; roAvwa^/^/Za:,

Z'r^j'^rrt 7-(7///«i///i'//t7,

/«;^wm,

24

magnified

25

enlarged

30

76

reduced, with section

77

102

oi Nepenthes bicalcaraia

11.

V\'i.c^\zx

12.

Pitcher oi Nepentlies Chelsoni

IIO

Section of hood of Nepenthes Chelsoni

Ill

14.

Pitcher of

I15

15.

Section of pitcher of

16.

Glands of

1 7.

Butterwort (Pingitieiila Ltisitaniea)

1 23

18.

Leaf of Butterwort with the edges curved inwards

126

19.

Yj\2iAditx\\'ox\.

20.

Bladder of Utrieularia vulgaris, enlarged

1

21.

Trifolium subterraneum

166

1

3.

Ct;/'/^a/^///i-

116

CV//;rt/i3///5

117

Q^/^a/^/z/j, in section

131

{Utricitlaria vnlgaris)

fruit

32

22.

Natal Climbing Plant {Ceropegia Samlersoni)

192

23.

VAlitr-S-wcet {Solannni dulcamara)

193

24.

The Twining Polygonum

25.

Leaf of Bomarea Carderi, the petiole twisted

26.

Traveller's

27.

Swollen petiole of

28.

Common

29.

Climbing Corydalis {Corydalis

(/^i?/j'^(?««/« rc/«(7/j7//?/j')

versal of the leaf

195

in the re-

197

Joy ( Clematis

vitallia)

C/67«fl//j- tvVa/'^a

Fumitory (Fumaj-ia

officinalis)

claviciilata)

200 202 204 205

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. TAGE

FIG.

30.

IlookeJ

31.

Tendrils of Virginia creeper, with discs attached

Tu'eciiiaiia.

foot

like

tendril,

of

a

bird,

from Bignonia

Tip of hook magnified

2IO 212

32.

Tendrils of Virginia creeper, discs not attached

212

33.

TenCLxWs oi Passijlora

214

34.

C\ea.veYS

35.

Leaves of sensitive plant, A/tmosa/^iedica,

{Ga/ium

cditlis

aj>an'/2e)

av^'ake

and asleep

{Pamassm palustris)

215 222

36.

Grass of Parnassus

37.

Flowers of Epilobium

38.

Leaves of Wood-sorrel

39.

41.

awake and asleep Leaf of Acacia Farnesiaiia, awake Leaf of ^c-flc/a: ivr^/ii-j/awa:, in a sleeping condition

42.

Scarlet Pimpernel (Anagallis a>-vensis)

43. 44.

Evening Primrose ( CEnothera biemiis) Bee Orchis {Op /uys api/cra)

45.

Snipe Orchis

46.

'Flowers oi Pachysfonia Thomsoiii

270 270

47.

Dciiih-ob'nim D'Albertisii

271

48.

Zebra Orchis ( Oncidiitm

49.

Wild oat

50.

CapsMles oi Mesembrj'antheiiiinn

51

Capsule of Mescrnbryanthontiiii tiipoHnin open

40.

.

233

234 244

'

Leaflets of Clover,

zcbrinitin)

(.icv«ay^///«)

247 253 253 263 266

269

272 276

(ripoliiitn closed

283 283

52.

Sand-box {Hiira crepitans)

284

53.

Balsam {Impaticns)

293

54.

Caltrops, or fruits of Tribultis tcrrcstris

55.

YrviSxs

56. 57.

Burdock (Z«//a wzw/') Hooked fruits of Martynla diandra

299 299 300 302

58.

Fruit of Proboscidca Jussieui, reduced

303

59.

Fruit of Grapnel plant, natural size {Harpagophytum Icpto-

60.

YrvSX.

61.

Fruit of Trapa bispinosa

305

62.

Yxvdt oi Gaktiia xanthophylla, SMspended

63.

Receptacle of the Egyptian Bean {Nchimbittm speciosum)...

307 30S

64.

yio-ake'j Vo\.s {Lecythes sp.)

309

oi Pcdalium miircx

carpinii)

oi Ti-apa bico}-nis

304 305

FREAKS OF PLANT

LIFE. PAGK

FIG.

{CoiiroKpila gitianensis)

65.

Q.7i.\\nor\.'Qz!^

66.

Euphorbia, resembling a Cactus growing amongst rocks

67.

Xowa^^XzxA.'i o{ Sahnitia, Jitssicea rcpens, Phyllanthiis

329

6S.

3^7

69.

Lycopodium compactuin AzorcUa selago

70.

l.esS oi Call ha dioncefolia

3^7 32S

71.

Actinotus

329

72.

Kocli Kose (Ifel/ant/iemtim)

73.

Seeds of Messiiafo-rca, natural

74.

Samara of

75.

Samara of

76.

Seed of Calosanthes indica

334

77.

334-

78.

Seed oi Zanonia macrocarpa Crested seed oi Sarcostcmma, Echitcs scabra. Willow-herb {Epilohium), jNIilk Thistle (^//)'/'«w war/rt;ww)

79.

?iVi2\^Q TxvA.

So.

Giant

Si.

Rafflcsia Anioldi, from a

52.

363,

85.

Flower of AristolocJiia Goldieana reduced Wake-robin (y/;-«;« ;;/a«//a///w) Egyptian Lotus {Nyinphaa stellata) Lady with Lotus riower, from Theban tomb

86.

Daffodil (N'arcissiis psciidonarcissiis)

415

S7

Jesuitic

432'

8S.

Maracoc Passion Flower [Passijlora cincinnata)

89.

Medicago echinus

437'

90.

W\%\\t\.QQ {^Visciun albian)

438-

91.

440*

92.

Male Mandrake Female Mandrake

93.

YiToom (Sarothaninus scoparius)

44S'

94.

Coiion Thistle {Onopordum acanihium)

95.

Musk

96.

Scotch coin of 1602

97.

Scotch coin of 1599

453 454 455 45S

314. in

Damara Land

323-

33°'

33

size

Seciiridaca lomentosa,

Heteropterys laiirifoUa,

Gallesia goraneina, Scgiiicra JJoribiinda

trifoliata,

53.

84.

Ulinits

canipestris,

Uhmis

Ptelca

Hircea

333-

[Qphiocaryon serpcntintium)

Arum

33montaiia,

cw'i o'^tx\.

343.

{Amorphophallus Titanum) greatly reduced photograph of the living

Thistle [Cai-duus nutans)

336-

...

flower...

559

36a 375 409-

411

436-

442

FREAKS OF PLANT

CHAPTER

LIFE.

I.

Introduction.

THIS work

has been undertaken for the purpose

of presenting in a popular form, devoid as

prominent features

which have

in the investigations

much

of late years contributed so

much

some of the most

as possible of technical language,

to our

knowledge

phenomena of vegetable life. The labours especially of Mr. Darwin in this direction deserve to be more generally known than they are. Unfor-

of the

tunately,

the

dread

which

non- scientific

exhibit at the outside of a

scientific

prevents any attempt at understanding

Hence we have made an results

to

effort

its

as

succinct

often

contents.

summarise the

of these and similar experiments,

present in

persons

book

and to

a manner as the subjects

permitted, their teachings.

Some

gations, as, for instance, those chiefly of interest to botanists,

on

elaborate investifertilisation,

and could be

are little

understood or appreciated by the general public

B

FREAKS OF PLANT

LIFE.

these have, therefore, not been considered as falling-

within the limits of this volume.

On

the other hand,,

chapters are introduced on subjects which have not

yet been submitted to exhaustive examination, but

which have, nevertheless, great popular fall

interest

legitimately within the scope of the

use has been

made

of

all

title.

and Free

sources of information,

under the conviction that the better these experi-

ments are known and understood, the greater and

more general

be the appreciation of the labours

will

who have contributed so much to of obscure phenomena in plant-life.

of those

dation

the eluci-

Text-books remind us of the importance of the vegetable world

They

in

its

relationship to the

grandeur and beauty which

also illustrate the

the plant has conferred on the world. to form

animal.

It is difficult

any adequate conception of the vast extent

All we can and unlimited variety of vegetable life. do is to pick up here and there some object of special interest, gaze at

prehend

it,

if

we

can,

it,

marvel at

it,

and then pass

try to

com-

on, leaving

behind us a trackless ocean of wonderful things, to

be picked up by our successors, and marvelled at as

we have

done.

house

exhausted.

Wc

is

It will

be very long before the store-

learn to appreciate

what has been written of

wild forests only by experience. feeling

(to

that

of

"

a sea-voyage)

A

very similar

possesses

the

INTRODUCTION. traveller as

he penetrates an extensive

morning he commences

Every

forest.

his journey, patiently pur-

suing the winding pathways through interminable

multitudes of trees and shrubs, arrives,

he

till,

when evening

hardly less fatigued with the mono-

is

tony of the scene than with the exertions of the

His feelings are the same as those at sea

day.

he

is

surprised at the interminable character of the

and

scene,

his ideas of space are

He

greater standard.

tudes

beings

vegetable

of

measured by a

wonders at the vast multi;

whence

they

could

possibly have drawn nourishment to rear such solid structures

;

he speculates on their age, and lastly on In both cases the ideas of space are the

their use.

same, but they have received an impulse from the novelty of the scene

;

perhaps assisted also by the

perfect stillness, which reigns so completely in deep forests,

more

and during the heat of the day the silence

painful than

difference

on the wide ocean.

between the two

is

waters, the other a sea of trees." It is

fairly

ours,

that one

The is

is

chief

a sea of

^

a very natural inquiry, and one which

may be

considered as a prelude to a subject such as

what number of

different kinds, or species, of

plants are supposed to be found on the surface of the

globe

'

.''

This

Hinds

in

is

a question which has been pro-

"Annals of Nat. V,

2

Hist.," xv. (1845), p. 89.

FREAKS OF PLANT pounded

before,

and more than once

The

been attempted.^ estimates

it

LIFE.

rather a

solution has

its

history of these progressive

curious one.

commences

It

390 B.C. with Theophrastus, and he enumerated 500 kinds of plants. This may be presumed to represent all

that were then known.

of

King Solomon had,

limits,

The

botanical knowledge

then, comparatively narrow

even though he discoursed on

the cedar of

Lebanon

Pliny (A.D. 79) increased the

on the

number of

number had

the seventeenth century the

wall.

plants to

In the beginning of

double that of his predecessor.

increased to

The second edition of Linnseus's great book

6,000.

included no more than 1807,

plants from

all

to the hyssop

Willdenow, up to

8,800.

had detected 17,457 species of flowering

From this period the increase known species was very rapid, stimulus

given

botany

to

in

the

plants.

number of

as a result of the

by Linnaeus

and

his

successors, so that at the beginning of the present

century Robert Brown had calculated the flowering plants at 37,000, and

and non-flowering, Progressing

'

Humboldt

all

plants, flowering

at 44,000.

still

further

down

the stream of time,

R. B. Hinds on "Geographical Botany,''

Hist.," XV. (1845), P- 15-

Botany" p. 276.

(1857), p. 659.

"Annals of Nat.

^- Henfrey, "Elementary Course of

Humboldt,

"

Views of Nature

"

(1850),

IXTRODUCriON. in

Dc

1820,

Candolle calculated that at the least

known.

56,000 species of plants were the

that

Herbarium

number of figure,

Delessert contained

and that the as

many

all

was found the

in

was estimated

M.

collection of

as 86,000 species in

had estimated

1847, although Dr. Lindley

that

It

preserved

species

at the Jardin des Plantes

same

at the

5

in

1835

the plants in the world might be included in

that number.

Humboldt entered upon a series of calculations, this time, to show that all these estimates fell short of the number which might be supposed to about

"

exist.

Such considerations," he

writes,

"

which

purpose developing more fully at the close of illustration,

seem

to verify the ancient

myth

Zend-Avesta that the creating primeval

1

this

of the

force called

forth 120,000 vegetable forms from the sacred blood

of the bull."

In 1845 Mr. R. B. Hinds estimated the

of phanerogamic

total

is

in

and cryptogamic plants at

The next

134,000 species.

Henfrey (1857)

at

estimate

we meet with

213,000, but

in

1855

De

Candolle had, by another process of reasoning, come to the conclusion

that the total could not be

than 375,000 for flowering plants. calculations will

less

Doubtless, these

go on increasing, as the highest

is

found to be inadequate to represent even the whole

number the

of described species.

very lowest

estimate of

At

the present time

authentic

species

of

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE. cryptogamia

be

cannot

than

less

and

50,000,

probably considerably exceed that number.

we have somewhat of an approximate what may be regarded a very low estimate,

Here, then, idea, at

number of species of

of the

face of the earth.

plants scattered over the

always best

It is

in

such calcu-

lations to under-estimate rather than over-estimate,

we

and

if

not

less

feel

confidence in asserting that there are

than 500,000 distinct and different species

of vegetable organisms distributed

and water,

including land that

satisfied

that the

we have permitted

It

is

in

for

excess even of

we

feel

believing

tliat

which

ourselves to affirm.

."curiosity "

is

in respect

to the relative

some we know to be very large, and very small, what then is the average size

sizes of plants

others are

over the globe,

because

we have good grounds

number

Another

is

it

;

.''

has been calculated, in the animal world, that

between the largest living animal known on the one hand, and the smallest which the microscope has revealed, the middle place, between both extremes, is

occupied by the

common

house-fly.

If

we

pursue-

a similar plan with plants, and estimate the smallest flowering plant to be the

minor) feet,

^

little

Duckweed {Lenina

and the largest a Eucalyptus

the intermediate form

some such an herbaceous plant about 20 inches high.

tree of

420

will be, as respects length,

But

if

as a St. John's

we

Wort,

include, as in the

INTRODUCTION. case of the animal world, microscopic

plants,

irre-

spective of fructification, then, with a small cellular alga, consisting of a single cell, 'Oi

mm.

in diameter,

or the one two thousand five hundredth part of an

we

inch as the lowest extreme, tudinal extension

shall have, in longi-

the middle place occupied

onl}-,

by

a small moss, such as Fiinaria hygrojuetrica, with a height of

total

other words, the

tall

little

tree of the

moss.

for bulk,

It

moss would be

little

higher than the one the

than an inch-and-a-half.

less

cell

of the

Eucalyptus

would be

and estimate

size

in

all

little

times

green alga as

higher than the

difficult to calculate

how many such

to ascertain

is

many

as

little

In

bulk

directions, so as cells as

those of

the alga would be required to build up the trunk of

such a tree so far

the

;

but the number would be enormous,

beyond human experience of numbers that

mind would

The

fail

to appreciate their relationship.

intermediate form

although

because,

animals,

larger

is

there

in plants

than in

animals

are

as

small as 'Oi mm., there are none reaching 420 feet in height.

Important as are the uses of plants to man, as the source of food, clothing, and medicine,

it

has hardly

been considered as coming within the scope of

volume

to refer to

them

in

this aspect,

this

our object

being rather to present an accumulation of curious

and

interesting

facts

in

the

structure,

habits,

or

FREAKS OF PLANT

8

phenomena

of plants which

LIFE.

have

hitherto either

been scattered through journals, or presented pages of

scientific

fluence

some

subjects,

and

By this means we we may possibly in-

read.

to

that

ourselves

flattered

the

books such as the general public

do not take the trouble have

in

to take a greater interest in botanical

phenomena

the

in

of plant

than

life,

they had previously done. It is

may

a fact worth

be conducive to

destroying

malaria

planting of any

"

remembering that vegetation

human in

health and comfort in

pestilential

gross feeder

" in

The

districts.

such places would

be beneficial, and the claims which have been ad-

vanced on behalf of the Australian gum-tree, might, extent, be

to a certain

other trees.

urged on behalf of

many

Experience has proved that the planting

of any trees which will thrive well and flourish in

malarious places, at once produces a marked change for the better,

and hygienic plantations need not to

be confined to the Eucalyptus. be,

it

is

interesting to note

globulus has papers, its

found

its

what patronage

how

way it

However

may

speedily Eucalyptus

into the public

how

news-

in despite of

has received

binomial appellation, and

this

cultivation

its

is

becoming an article of faith and practice in Europe, Asia, and America, from Rome to Berlin, and from Calcutta to California. There are but few instances on record of a similar vegetable success.

LXTRODLCTION. October,

In

"Comptes Renclus"^

is

times

its

The

A

leaves.

1867:

for its

fever.

much

absorbs as

It

pestilential

there, since

air

in

as

and

soil,

vapour

antiseptic

thousand

thirteen

planted

grows rapidly

from

some twenty miles from

farm,

was noted

tree

weight of water from the

camphoraceous

emits

in

the malarious agency which

in destro}-ing

supposed to cause

ten

narrated

the results of his experiments with

the Eucalyptus- in Algeria.

and aids

Gimbert

]\Ions.

1873,

its

Algiers,

the spring of

Eucalyptus

were

trees

which time not a single case

of fever had occurred.

Numerous other

cases

like

are cited.

The honour gum-tree

But

this

is is

of discovering this property

due b}'

to

Sir

no means the only use of the

valuable as a timber

is

W. tree.

The

bees.

the

tree.

It

flowers also yield

a large quantit)' of honey and are

by

in

Macarthur, of Sydney.'^

much

frequented

All parts of the tree are said to be useful

as a febrifuge medicine,

and the leaves when smoked

are efficacious in allaying pain, calming irritation, and

procuring sleep.

^

"

Cigars

Comptes Rendus," Oct. 6

made

of the leaves were

(1873), P- 7^4;

Nov. 22, 1873. - Eucalyptus globulus. " Naudin on Plantations Hygieniques (1861), p. 205.

in

"Gard. Chron.,"

'-Revue Horticole'^

FREAKS OF PLANT

LIFE.

Exhibition

of

exhibited at

the

recommended

as being very efficient in promoting

A

chemist at Melbourne also prepares

digestion.

cigarettes from

employed

Paris

the foliage, which

in bronchial

1867,

^rid

he urges to be

and asthmatic

In

affections.

Mauritius the leaves are sold at sixpence per ounce

make an

to

with success all

infusion which has been in

malarious fevers

administered

and, as a reward for

;^

these virtues, as a return for such beneficent work

on behalf of humanity,

tree

this

is

now being

dis-

tributed almost over the habitable globe, wherever

the white man's foot has trodden.

The

sunflower has a reputation similar to that "

of the Australian gum-tree.

Washington, U.

marshy year

fever

after the

S.,

situation,

was

was placed and

rife

at in

The Observatory in

certain

the

at

a very unhealthy periods

of

the

neighbourhood, but

ground was annually sown with sunflower

the sanitary condition was

much improved."

It is

by the same authority- as that of the above fact, that " a Dutch landed proprietor upon the banks of the Scheldt, planted some plots of also stated

sunflowers near his houses,

and that the tenants

enjoyed afterwards complete immunity from mias-

'

•'•

" Lancet," April 20, 1872.

"Gardener's Chronicle," Nov. 22 (1873), pp.

15, 67.

n

INTRODUCTION.

matic fever, although that disease continued to be prevalent in the neighbourhood.

In the swampy-

regions of the Punjab district in India the sunflower

grown in some places in large plantations with marked success, its influence tending to remove malaria, and thus benefit the health of residents in

is

those

districts.

The

Agri-Horticultural Society of the

Punjab, after investigating the subject, published a report in which the extension of the cultivation of this useful plant

was strongly recommended.

This curious subject would hardly have

fallen in its

place in any of the subsequent chapters and

is

there-

fore alluded to here, in connection with another

to be presently mentioned, rather altogether.

The

one

than be omitted

influence of vegetation on climate

has already received attention in another place,^ and

needs no

repetition,

although

with the facts just referred

to.

it

At

an

has

might have shown how, and why, such vegetation, as

petrating

Eucalyptus

that

a

such is

affinity

we

the same time

kind

of

of the mangrove, aids in per-

malarious

believed to cure.

atmosphere

As an

as

the

illustration

of the manner, and the extent, to which the vegetation of a country

may

be modified and completely

changed by external circumstances, we

1

" Natural History

Cooke.

Rambles

:

may

refer to

The Woodlands," by M.

C.

FREAKS OF PLANT

LIFE.

South Africa/ of which Dr. John Shaw has given a account, the

graphic

modif}'ing influence being in

this case the introduction of the

Merino sheep. After

alluding to the introduction of a noxious bur-weed {XaiitliiiiJii

sheep were but

in

he

spinosiivi), first

sa}'s

that

when

these

introduced they fed mainly on grasses,

a country with periodical rains and a high sun

way and succumb. Shrubby

these plants had to give

were not eaten as long as the grass was

plants

prominent.

But the grass vanished rapidly, and the

scrub came to be the main resource of the flocks, and the ground was given over to bush, and scrub, and

The

obnoxious herbs.

climate then

became

affected,

the hardy plants of the southern desert tracts spread

northward, and the pleasant country was rapidly

becoming

an

extension

deserted Karoo.

Some

"

says, " are poisoned

scrubby,

of dreary,

half-

tracts of the country,"

he

by the extraordinary increase of

the Tripteris Jlexnosa, and transport riders, with their

oxen, our only carrying power, have to travel through without pausing, on

account of the

certain

parts

Meliccs,

grasses which have increased to an extent

scarcely to be fancied in the last few years, and on

eating which cattle become affected with intoxication to an alarming extent."

'

in

On

This

is

only one example,

the changes going on in the Vegetation of South Africa,

"Linnean Journal,"

vol. xiv. (1874), p. 202.

IXTROD L'CTIOX. out of

how

many which might have been

1

the surface of the earth

adduced, to show

undergoing great

is

modification and alteration, through the disturbing

and colonisation, some of

influences of civilisation these,

such as the destruction

of

forests,

having

produced disastrous consequences on the climate.

During 1877, a paragraph went the round of the papers respecting a singular tree, which, although

it

did

not profess to destroy miasma, was no less beneficial,

inasmuch as

in dry places, and was anticipated, would convert all

provided moisture

it

the "Rain-tree,"

it

deserts into paradise.

the sun

"

the

same

As

there

is

"nothing new under

story, or nearly so, has

been found

on record more than a century previously, to the following effect " Near the mountains of Vera Paz :

(Guatemala) we came out on a large plain, where were

numbers of of unusual

fine deer, size,

compass of ground. distance

off,

we began

and

in

spreading

the middle stood a tree

its

We

had perceived,

the ground about

to be

somewhat

branches over a vast

it

surprised, as well

there had been no rain fallen for near six past.

At

dropping, of every

last,

to our great amazemicnt,

or, as it leaf."^

at

to be wet, at

some which

knowing months

we saw water

were, distilling fast from the end

The new

story,

on the authority of

" Journey Overland from the Gulf of Honduras," by John 1 Cockburn, London (1735), PP- 40"4--

FREAKS OF PLANT

H

LIFE.

the United States Consul, related to

Northern Peru, where

"

the tree

is

Moyobamba

in

stated to absorb

and condense the humidity of the atmosphere with astonishing energy, and it is said that the water may frequently be seen to ooze from the trunk, and rain

from

its

The

tree

is

such quantity that the

branches, in

ground beneath

is

fall in

converted into a perfect swamp.

said to possess this property in the highest

degree during the

summer

when was

season principally,

the rivers are low, and water

scarce,

is

whence

suggested that the tree should be planted

it

in

the

arid regions of Peru, for the benefit of the farmers there."

Thus much

for the story, as

obtained currency,

it

which requires some modification

in face of

the facts.

The

whole subject was investigated, and narrated

Mr.

W.

this

we glean

of the

"

Caracas

The still

whole day a

'

-

:

states'-

leaves are

tree,



the following facts Rain-tree " was determined as PitJiccolobiimi

sainan.

the

by

From The scientific name

T. Thistelton Dyer, in the year 1878.1

Director of the Botanic Gardens at :

In the

delicate

fine

even

"

in

month of April the young

and transparent.

spray of rain the driest

is

air,

During the

to be noticed

under

so that the strongly

"Nature," February 28 (1878), pp. 349, 350. Professor Ernst in " Lotanische Zeitung " (1876), pp.

35, 36.

INTRODUCTION.

15

The phetinted iron-clay soil is distinctly moist. nomenon diminishes with the development of the He leaves, and ceases when they are fully grown." attributes the rain to secretion from glands

footstalk of the leaf,

on the

on which drops of liquid are

found, which are rapidly renewed on being removed

with blotting-paper.

Another explanation, furnished by Dr. Spruce, the South American

traveller,

appears to set the question

The Tamia-caspi, or Rain-tree of the Eastern Peruvian Andes is not a myth, but a fact, although not exactly in the way popular rumour has lately presented it. I first witnessed the phenomenon in September, 1855, when residing at Tarapolo, a town, or large village, a few days eastward of Moyobamba. A little after seven o'clock we came under a lowish at

"

rest.^

spreading

tree,

from which, with a perfectly clear sky

overhead, a smart rain was falling.

showed a multitude of the tender forth

young branches and

slender

streams

A glance upwards

cicadas, sucking the juices of

of

leaves,

limpid

and squirting

My

fluid.

two

Peruvians were already familiar with the phenomenon,

and they knew very well that almost any in a state to afford food

cicada,

to the nearly

tree,

when

omnivorous

might become a Tamia-caspi, or Rain-tree.

'

"

Kew Gardens

Report for 1878," pp.

46, 47.

FREAKS OF PLAXT

1

LIFE.

This particular tree was evidently, from

Among

Acacia.

cicada feed,

one closely

is

by cicadas

many more

are I

is

Another leguminous

Andira

Although

cannot specify.

inermis,

and other

of the same,

I

an

have seen

I

to the Acacias, the

allied

beautiful PitJiccolobiiim sainan. tree visited

its foliage,

the trees on which

and there

families,

which

never heard the name,

Tamia-caspi, applied to any particular kind of tree

during a residence of two years in the region where is

now I

Eastern Peru, that

left

given to some

but

branches in

tree,

my

'

moisture

in

from

pouring

;

be found responsible the

and

leaves

an abundant shower,' the same as

it

was

time."

romance

admitted rainy

name may have been

still

Although, unfortunately, the

quite possible that,

with a greater drip than ordinary

expect the cicada will

I

the

for

it is

space of twenty-one years that have elapsed

in the

since

said to be a specialty,

it

out Dr.

that

of

Ernst

mist in Venezuela

explanation takes

this

the

Rain-tree, is is

it

of opinion

must be that

the

produced without the

is still some Under any circumstances,

intervention of insects, and that there

mystery to be explained. the

story

allusion to

the

is

of sufficient

it

in

present

volume,

phenomena not

interest

to

warrant an

the introduction to the subjects of

which

may

readily accounted

for.

contain

other

Cicadas were

great favourites with the ancient Greeks, by

whom

LXTRODUCTIOX. they were belie\'cd to be harmless, and to

live

upon

dew, they were addressed by endearing epithets, and regarded as almost divine.

Happy

creature

what below

!

Can more happy

live

than thou

?

Seated on thy leafy throne,

Summer weaves

thy verdant crown

;

Sipping o'er the pearly lawn

The

fragrant nectar of the dawn.

Plants, regarded

in

their relationship to different

nations and races, have been the theme of more than

one writer on botanical geography.^ There are many suggestions in such a view which are of interest, and

we may, in passing, allude to two or three The South Sea Islands are associated with fruit tree,

which

of Oceania.

is

instances.

the bread-

the staple food-plant to the natives

The lower

Coral Islands have the cocoa-

nut palm, which grows abundantly

in

Indian

the

Islands between Asia and Australia, and on the coasts

of India. is

its

The New Zealand

flax

characteristic of the islands

name.

Amongst

the Island Malays

Maize was the

clove and nutmeg. sion of the

{Phonnimn

from which

American

races.

we

it

tenax)

derives

find the

original posses-

Before the time of the

Europeans the maguey plant was the vine of the

Schouw,

p. 223, etc.

C

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE. Mexicans, and

in recent

times another species of the

same genus {Agave A mericand) has acquired the name of Mexican aloe, and furnishes a well-known fibrous material. Above the limit of rye and barley, in Chili and Peru, grows another characteristic plant — the seeds of which are used as food.

— the On

quinoa

the lower Orinoco the savage races subsist on the

In Africa the date-palm

Mauritia palm.

Arab.

the

heritance of

In Abyssinia the coffee

appears as the characteristic plant. it

supreme national

With

the

plant.

Amongst

is

the

the Indo-Cauca-

Western Asia and Europe the

sian races of

Hindoo

In China the tea-shrub

rice or cotton.

is

the in-

is

characteristic plants are wheat, barley, rye,

original

and

oats.

Southern Europe has the olive, and, together with

The Laplanders have no we except the reindeer moss.

Central Europe, the vine. characteristic plant,

Yet

all this is

tion

;

as the

if

being changed with increasing

civilisa-

European races obtained the almond,

peach, and apricot from Asia Minor, the orange from

China, rice from India, and the maize and potato

from America, so the colonies of the same established in

all

climates

races,

and scattered over the

them their characteristic plants, around them those of all other races. In

world, carried with or collected this

manner maize,

and even

cotton, the vine, coffee, the orange,

tea, travelling

from their original centres,

threaten every climate for which they are suitable,

INTRODUCTION. and

characteristic

plants

19

become a legend of the

past. It is scarcely lialf a

was

first

century ago since the tea-plant

introduced for cultivation on the slopes of

the Himalayas in India, and

most important industry

unknown, are a

More

recently,

;

now

it

has become a

and tea-gardens, formerly

distinctive feature in the landscape.

and with similar

success, the fever

bark, or cinchona plant, has been brought from South

America and

naturalised on the Neilgherry Hills in

Southern India, whence

it is

spreading to other parts

To a more limited extent the hop has been introduced from England into the north-west of India, where barley was already grown, of the Peninsula.

and now breweries of "bitter beer" are established for

the benefit of Europeans

regions of our Indian Empire. plants thus widely distributed,

such as we term

"

weeds

"

the most remote Not only are useful but with them others, in

The

are associated.

small

seeds of these plants, unintentionally mixed with the seeds of food-plants,

accompany them

destination; thus the red Indian of

to their

new

North America

is

said to have recognised the plantain, travelling west-

ward with the white man's of the it

"

more

corn,

white man's foot." difficult

and gave

it

Every century

the will

name make

of determination what are the really

indigenous plants in countries where European races

have established themselves. c 2

FREAKS

20

Wc may may One

PLANT

OF'

anticipate one or

possibly be urged

two objections which

against this

volume^

little

be that we have made very free

may many researches

of these

use of the

LIFE.

of Dr. Charles Darwin,

phenomena of plant life, without adding number or in illustration. To this we in them, to plead guilty, with the excuse that by so doing wc in certain

should contribute something towards the diffusion of

we

a knowledge, and, as

hope, of a more general ap-

made

preciation of the important additions he has

our knowledge of vegetable

who have been

Some

life.

content to associate his

with a theory which they

may

to

there are

name only

not comprehend, but

With that theory we are fail to condemn. now concerned but there is another aspect in which we desire that this accurate and indefatigable observer should be known and remembered, outside

do not not

;

an exclusively

scientific

circle

;

and that

is,

as

a

collector of facts, the results of patient observations, illustrative of the life history of plants

The

and animals.

volumes which he has written are unequalled as

a cyclopa;dia of facts

;

and

his bitterest foe

has never

accused him of distorting, or misrepresenting the benefit of any theory whatever. historian, therefore, A\e

and,

if

wc have added

he has investigated,

As

commend him so

it is

little

facts, for

a biological

to our readers,

to the subjects

which

because he has done this so

completely that further amplification was unnecessary.

INTRODUCTION, The second

we may

objection which

anticipate

is

the miscellaneous character of the subjects which we

have brought together within the two ends of book.

If the object with

be kept

view,

in

an objection

is

which

we would

also

untenable.

We

confess

those

to interest

to a

who

one

We

that

such

profess to be

somewhat unpopular

writing a popular volume, on a subject.

think

fain

this

was undertaken

this

design of endeavouring

are

not botanists, and

do

not pretend to any but a most superficial knowledge of plant

life.

For such we have collected together,

under the headings of a certain number of chapters, of what we consider curious and inphenomena and facts, in the hope that by such means we might stimulate in them an interest

a quantity teresting

in

trees,

plants,

and

we succeed

flowers,

which they never

felt

same time, in enlarging their views of the power and beneficence of the great Author of all these marvels, our work will have been accomplished. before.

If

Then

in

doing

this,

and, at the

wherefore, wherefore were they made,

All dyed with rainbow light,

All fashioned with supremest grace,

Upspringing day and night Springing

And on

And

in valleys

green and low,

the mountains high.

in the silent wilderness

Where no man

passes by

.''

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE. Our outward life requires them notThen wherefore had they birth ?

To minister delight to man, To beautify the earth ;

To

comfort

man — to

whisper hope,

Whene'er his faith is dim For Who so careth for the flowers Will much more care for him. ;

THE SUNDEWS.

CHAPTER CARNIVOROUS PLANTS It

very

is

many years

since

23

II.

— THE

SUNDEWS.

we wandered about

low swampy parts of Hampstead Heath, the httle sundew.

from

its

had

It

comparative

in

in

those days an interest since

rarity,

it

it

with dead insects.

little

must be hunted

it

moss, in the

swampy

button,

but

mysterious association

its

This

spicuous that

The

;

interest, in the beautiful sparkling

glands of the leaves, and

grow.

such

inhabits

locahties as are not to be found in every district

had also other

the

search of

places in

plant

is

so incon-

amongst the bog which it delights to

for,

leaves are nearly as round as a shirt

little

and seldom so much as half an inch

in

diameter, attached at the lower edge to long slender stalks.

^

These

stalks radiate

from a central point,

a short root-stock, and the leaves ground, like a

little rosette.

lie

flat

In the centre

on the

rises

the

flowering stem, sometimes from four to six inches high, with a few minute white flowers towards the top (fig.

i).

The

leaves

^

and the ends of the

Droscra rotundifolm.

leaf-stalks

FREAKS OF PLAXT

24

are

LIFE.

with

covered with curious hairs or tentacles,

clubbed ends, which sparkle in the sun, as bore on their extremity a minute dew-drop. leaves,

and

their curious

if

they

These

appendages, arc the objects

Fig. I.— Round-leaved Sundew, Droscra rotnndifolia.

to

which our attention must be confined,

comprehend why the "

carnivorous plant."

little

if

we would

sundew has been called a

THE SUXDEWS. The

leaves, of

which the plant seldom bears more

than half a dozen, and often

less,

upper surface with glandular

hairs, to

"

are covered on the

Of

tentacles " has been applied.

which the name

these,

from 130 to

250 have been counted on single leaves. Those in the centre are shortest and erect, becoming longer

Each

and more oblique towards the margin.

tentacle

has a hair-like stem, and bears an expanded oblong

This

gland at the apex.

rounded by a viscid

which

imparts

the

is

sur-

secretion,

glistening

dewy appearance that originated the name. If we remove one of these glands, and cut it down the centre, we shall see that it has an external layer of manywhich are small and

sided

cells,

filled

with purple granular con-

tents

(fig.

2).

Beneath

this

is

another layer of different-shaped cells,

wnth similar contents.

In Fig.

the centre

gated

is

a group of elon-

cylindrical

cells,

2.

— Section of gland

of Droscra rotiiiidifoLia

each

magnified.

with a spiral fibre winding round within taining a spiral

limpid

vessel

runs

fluid.

From

these

down through

stalk or pedicel of the gland.

it,

and con-

spiral

cells

a

the centre of the

Other and more minute

rudimentary hairs are found mixed with the tentacles,

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE. or covering those parts from which the tentacles are absent.

When any causes a is

small object

movement

in

is

placed on the glands,

the tentacles.

it

The impulse

transmitted from those which are touched to others

which surround them, and, one by one, the tentacles

bend over towards the centre of the enclose the irritating object. object

it

more speedily and

is

than a dead one.

.

leaf, in

If the latter

The time

is

order to a living

effectively clasped

required to cause

all

the tentacles to close over an object depends upon circumstances.

The

more rapid over than a tough-coated one, and

inflection

a thin-skinned insect

is

the period varies from one to four or five hours for all

the tentacles to be closed

down upon the by a hair or

If the glands are only touched

and nothing margin

will

is

left

upon them, the

curve inwards.

captive.

thread,

tentacles at the

This movement

may be

caused by touching a gland three or four times, and in ten

seconds from being touched the movement

has been seen to commence.' Withering states that in 1780 Mr, Whateley inspected leaves (D. rohindifolia) and observed small insects imprisoned therein. On Mr. W. pressing with a pin other leaves, yet in their expanded state, he observed a remarkable sudden and elastic spring of the leaves so as to become inverted upwards, and, as it were, encircling the pin, 1

some of these

which evidently showed the method by which the its embarrassed position.

into

fly

came

THE SUNDEWS. When an insect is caug-ht by this process, a much more remarkable phenomenon takes place, which was thoroughly examined by Mr. Darwin and declared in the

such as a

following terms :—

bit of

meat or an

"

When

insect,

is

an object,

placed on the

disc of a leaf, as soon as the surrounding tentacles

become considerably inflected, their glands pour I ascerforth an increased amount of secretion. tained this by selecting leaves with equal-sized drops on the two sides, and by placing bits of meat on one and as soon as the tentacles on side of the disc this side became much inflected, but before the ;

glands touched the meat, the drops of secretion be-

came

larger.

This was repeatedly observed, but a

record was kept of only thirteen cases, in nine of

which increased secretion was plainly observed

;

the

four failures being due either to the leaves being rather torpid, or the

much

inflection."

^

l?its

of

This

is

meat too small an important

to cause

fact, as

it

shows conclusively some relationship between the action of inflection in the hairs and the amount of viscid secretion exuded.

There is, however, another important fact which must be taken into account in connexion with that just recorded.

It

is,

that not only

increased in quantity, but

*

it

is

the secretion

also undergoes a

Darwin, " Insectivorous Plants,"

p. 14.

change

FREAKS OF PLAXT

28

in

nature,

its

becoming more

LIFE.

acid.

This acidulation

takes place before the glands have touched the object

on the

leaf,

and so long as the tentacles remain bent

downwards does the

secretion

and continues also

acid properties.

shown

its

continue to exude, It

might be

here, as the result of experiment, that frag-

ments of meat, and other substances, placed on the leaves

and submitted

remained clean and fragments of equal

damp

from putrefaction, whilst other

size,

placed at the same time on

moss, became mouldy, or disintegrated, and

swarming with i^reservative It

to the action of this secretion,

free

This fact indicates some

infusoria.

power

in

the acidulated secretion.

has been demonstrated that most insects are

hilled within a quarter of ihcir being caught.

The

an hour from the time of respiration of insects

is

ac-

complished by means of breathing pores, or tracheae,

on the

surface of their bodies.

The

viscid secretion

from the glands tends to close and choke up these

by

tracheae, so that the insect

is

Every additional gland,

closes over the captured

as

it

killed

insect, contributes of its viscid secretion,

bathes and involves the impossible.

The

little insect,

suffocation.

which soon

so that respira-

struggles of an insect

when

tion

is

first

caught only serve to touch and stimulate other

tentacles,

and increase the number of those which

pour forth it, and and thus hasten its death.

close over

their

viscid secretion,

THE SUNDEWS. \Vc

may

29

well assume, as experiments justify the

assumption, that the acidulated secretion, which

is

discharg-ed over the insect from the inflected glands,

the digestion

aids in food.

It

is

mena, the

abundantly certain that

this

animat

these pheno-

all

sensibility, or irritability of the tentacles

when touched, on the

by the plant of

leaf,

their

power of closing over the object

the increase of

its

viscid

secretion,

and

the acquisition of acid properties, are not performed

without a purpose, and that purpose appears to be the capture of animal food,

absorption

b}^

its

digestion,

and ultimate

the plant.

There can be no doubt that the glands of the leaf

do

really possess the

power of absorption, which ma}'

be tested by placing upon them small quantities of such substances as carbonate of ammonia, the absorp-

which causes a change of colour consequent upon the aggregation of their contents. It may be assumed also from the fact that the tentacles remain closed longer over an object which contains soluble

tion of

nitrogenous matter than over one which does not.

The

sundew has very delicate roots, which are scarcehmore than suckers for obtaining moisture which the plant requires in great abundance. As Mr. Darwin observes, " a plant of

leaves

curled

sundew with the edges of

inwards, so

as to

its

form a temporary

stomach, with the glands of the closely inflected tentacles pouring forth their

acid

secretion,

which

FREAKS OF PLANT

LIFE.

dissolves animal matter afterwards to be absorbed,

may

be said to feed like an animal.

from an animal,

But, differently

drinks by means of

and must drink largely so as to retain many drops of viscid fluid round the glands, sometimes as many as it

its

roots

;

it

260, exposed

day

Avhole sun."

during the

to

glaring

a

^

Thus

v/c

have taken a

cursory glance at the

little

sundew, and some of the

phenomena which prehend

still

better the

more explicit some of the i^/^.

3.— Leaf with

Drosera

tentacles of features

rotiindifolia,

en-

'^

in

^vhich

we

turn.

We

details

shall

of

individual history, to

its

have to

re-

have described

the leaves, which are in fact the traps by

which living insects are caught, and, not only the stomach also in which the animal food

To

ex-

order to com-

in

hibits,

it

is

means of this,

but

digested.

prove that these are not fanciful notions, but have

plenty of evidence in support, the important features will

have to be examined

A

leaf

'

studded

Avith

in detail.

sparkling glandular hairs

Darwin, " Insectivorous Plants,"

p. iS.

THE SUNDEWS.

31

very extraordinary, but when

wc discover that these hairs, or tentacles, can be moved in a particular direction in response to some exciting cause, we have to deal with a phenomenon by no means common in plant life, and we naturally become is

not

in

itself

When any

curious to discover the cause. living or dead,

tentacles

it

comes

in contact

commences

centre of the leaf

is

bend over towards the

to

The power

(fig. 3).

to irritation, moreover,

of responding

not confined to the single

tentacle which has been touched, for

capacity of cpmmunicating tentacles,

with

and they also bend

it

possesses the

the

surrounding

over, as if in

laid

human

sympathy

The minute

with and to assist their companion.

fragment of a

object,

with one of these

hair y^o-th of an inch in length,

upon a gland, has been shown to be sufficient to bend over. Minute particles of

excite a tentacle to glass, chalk,

and other inorganic substances, placed on

the glands of the outer tentacles, will cause them to bend.

So

also will small fragments of meat,

minute drops of stimulating is

touched three or four times

not

When

fluids.

when only touched once

it

will also bend,

for

is

sufficient

After remaining bent

some time the excited

tentacles

return to their original erect position.

much more speedy when an

but

or twice, although the

sustained pressure of a gnat's foot

produce the movement.

and

a tentacle

inorganic

to

down

again slowly

This return

is

body has been

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE.

32

when

the cause of the inflection, than

a small insect,

or a fragment of meat, has been the exciting cause.

These

facts

have been proved by numerous experi-

ments, which place them

beyond question.

that the tentacles are sensitive

we may

(if

First,

use that

expression) to the sustained pressure of one millionth

That they

part of a grain.

and bend towards the centre of the leaf

pressure,

That

respond to such

will

this irritation

also

will

neighbouring tentacles, which

And

direction.

be communicated to

bend

will

that after this operation

the

in is

same

performed

the inflected tentacles will return to their former position.

we

If

suppose, then, that a minute insect

has fallen or alighted upon one, or more, of the outer tentacles,

will

it

course

the

in

moving towards the

of ten seconds be

centre, whither

it

will ultimately

be carried, whilst the surrounding tentacles follow in the bending movement, until

over the captive insect. assured

the

that

first

But,

it

may

inward

take

flight

against

It

by the

might do so

if

are closed

be asked, are

movement

tentacles will not alarm the insect .''

all

this

will also

of

and cause

we the

it

to

were not provided

viscid secretion with

which the glands

arc covered, and which increases in quantity with the

inward movement of the tentacles. so tenacious that if

it

may

once a small insect alights upon

vain to get

free.

It

is,

This secretion

be drawn out

in fact,

in strings,

it, it

is

and

struggles in

a kind of birdlime,

THE SUNDEWS.

33

prepared naturally, and exposed systematically, for the capture of

little

of each tentacle

which

this sticky substance,

on the

surface.

sparkle

in

the

The club-shaped summit

flies.

a manufactory and storehouse for

is

is

exuded and exposed

Although these drops

and

glisten

have another and more

sun, they

important function to perform than only to justify

cognomen of the plant. Not only does the response of the

the

irritation

remind us of

sensibility

tentacles to

in

animal

the

kingdom, but the apparent power of discrimination which the tentacles possess seems surprising. an undoubted

fact

that

distinguishing

not

only

It is

power does exist of

the

between

and

inorganic

organic substances, as between a piece of glass and

a piece of boiled

but also between

(i%%,

skinned beetle and

a

soft

give abundant evidence of

other of his works,

authentic facts.

were

tried

is

greatly

this,

and

his

book, like

a complete cyclopaedia of

on thirty or forty

leaves,

inflected.

drops of cold

Whereas

hard-

For instance, drops of pure water leaves, but no effect Drops of milk were placed

whatever was produced.

on sixteen

a

and even between

Mr. Darwin's experiments

different kinds of fluids.

all

fly,

tea,

and the tentacles of

Ten

leaves

were

all

became

tried

with

but the tentacles did not respond.

eight were tested with dissolved isinglass,

as thick as milk,

and

all

of

D

them recognised

it

by

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE.

34

Nor was

inflecting the tentacles. solids less remarkable.

on the

discs of several leaves,

paper, bits of as

Minute

"

the

flies,

embraced

in

the treatment of

were placed

flies

and on others

balls of

of about the same size

moss and

quill,

and

latter

the



(the

were well

flies)

a few hours, whereas, after twenty-five

hours, only a very few tentacles were inflected over

The

the other objects.

and

bits of paper, m.oss

were then removed from these leaves, and

quill

bits of

raw

meat placed on them, and now

all

soon energetically

Yet another mode of

inflected."

^

recognition was manifested.

the tentacles were

Over and over

the work from whence the above

demonstrated that the tentacles remained longer period

inflected over

substances than

again, in

quoted,

is

for a

it

is

much

what we should term over

such

indigestible

things as bits of glass and paper.

The

inference to

digestible

be drawn from

this fact is that the plant recognised

the latter as indigestible, and hence that the tentacles let

go

their

position

hold and returned

in

the act of digestion.

remarked here that as the

It

tentacles, whilst

may be

becoming

exude a larger drop of secretion than when

erect, so in recovering drier,

previous

their

of expectancy, whilst in the former they

remained closed

inflected,

to

with

'

little

from inflection they become

or none of the secretion exuded,

Darwin, " Insectivorous Plants,"

p. 22.

THE SUNDEWS. until

they

after

By

position.

the

have

35

resumed

again

tion of the prey has to be provided for

any adhering

legs or

erect

their

and diges-

action the capture

first

;

by the

last

wings of dead insects are got

rid of.

We

have demonstrated the

fly-catching plant in its

that relates to the securing of

prey, and, within certain limits, to

The next

selection.

with its

all

it

.'*

"

and

question

"

is,

this naturally leads

and

powers of digestion

phenomena exhibited by the conclude that the motive the

fact,

is

Darwin's own language,

"

when

some

irritated transmit

he do

will

us to investigate

absorption.

the

If

plant are analogous to

we may

be

fairly

We

the same.

may

which

power of

its

What

those of animals during digestion,

stated

of our

perfectibility

repeated

have

in

Mr.

that the glands of the disc influence to the glands

of the exterior tentacles, causing them to secrete

more if

copiously,

and the secretion to become

acid, as

they had been directly excited by an object placed

on them.

The

gastric juice of animals contains, as

is

well known, an acid and a ferment, both of which are

indispensable for digestion, and Drosera.

When

secretion

of

animal

mechanically irritated

is

and when

so

it

is

with the

the stomach of it

an

secretes an acid,

particles of glass or other such

objects

were placed on the glands of Drosera, the secretion

and that of the surrounding and untouched glands

D

2

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE.

r('j-xw.

its

When it

its

electro-

contracts,

the manifestation of electromotive force diminishes in proportion to the degree of contraction.

to be borne in

mind

that, although,

when

But

it is

the muscle

or the leaf contracts, electromotive force disappears

and work

is

that there

is

done, there

is

no reason

any conversion of the one

for

supposing

effect into the

other, or that the source of the force exercised

organ

by the

in contracting is electrical."

Dr. Burdon Sanderson then proceeded by a series

of experiments to demonstrate the correspondence

between the

electrical

phenomena which accompany

muscular contraction and those which are associated with the closing of the Dionoea

^

Icaf.^

Lecture by Dr. Burdon Sanderson at Royal Institution, 5th, 1874 ; " Gardener's Chronicle," June 27th, 1874.

June

VENUS' S FLY-TRAP. With

this brief

67

and rapid summary of the main

features relating to the carnivorous propensities of

the Vcnus's Fly-trap,

we may

other plants belonging to the

the Sundews and

casually refer to a few

same natural order

Dionoea, which

as

similar

possess

propensities, but to a less interesting degree, or

do

not differ greatly from the two preceding types.

A is

little

aquatic plant, called Aldrovanda vesiculosa

found in Europe, Australia, and India.

Although

inhabiting countries so remote from each other, plant seems to be of one species in roots,

and

floats like

green stars

all.

It

has no

The

in the water.

leaves are arranged in whorls in a stellate

this

manner

round the stem. Each leaf has two semicircular lobes,

which are seated on broad

foot-stalks.

The

lobes

are generally found closed at the ordinary temperature in Europe, but they do separate, under favourable

conditions,

to

about

the

same proportionate

extent as a living mussel opens the valves of

The

history

and mystery of

are very imperfectly known.

Stein observed that water

sometimes caught by

insects v/ere

its shell.

this little water-plant

it.

Professor

Cohn

has found crustaceans and larva; within the leaves.^ Plants placed in water containing entomostraca were

examined next morning, and found viduals of these minute crustaceans

1

Cohn, "Beitrage,"'

F 2

iii.,

to enclose indistill

1875, P- 7^-

alive.

In

FREAKS OF PLAXT LIFE.

68

cne of the closed leaves of the Australian variety from Queensland a rather large beetle was found, with

all

The

the softer parts of the

living creatures.

are

body

dissolved.

leaves evidently are well adapted for catching

probably

There are long

which

sensitive hairs

There are glands

sensitive.

may

from analogy,

limpid

a

crete

which,.

Altogether,

although

se-

fluid.

'^

however,,

and

kinship

analogy might point to this

another

as

of the

carnii'orous plants of the

Sundew

family, a sup-

position

which

by

ported

a

is

sup-

sort

of

circumstantial evidence, still,

so

known, that

it

to suspend the Fig.

5.

'Lt'aJi

o{ Aldrovanda,

enlarged.

— COHX.

definitely

little is

is

better

judgment

than reach at too hast>' a conclusion.

The Portuguese Fly-catcher is we may distinguish that rare little

the

name by which

plant Drosophyllum

Lnsitanicum, which hitherto has only been found Portugal and Morocco.

'

It is plentiful in

Uarwin,

p. 330.

in

the neigh-

1

7£ND\S'S

FL

\

'

TRAP.

69

bourhood of Oporto, where the villagers call it the fly-catcher," and hang it in their cottages for that *'

The

purpose.

inches

several

leaves are length,

in

slender filaments, of

like

with the

upper

surface

concave and channelled

down

under surface convex.

Both surfaces are covered

the middle, and the

with tentacles of a pink or purplish colour, supported

on peduncles of variable lengths, with a cap-like

These tentacles secrete large drops

convex head.

of a viscid secretion

(fig. 6).

Besides these tentacles are a

number of very minute glands, scarcely

naked

but with tion,

the

eye, colourless, but similar

structure

in

sessile

visible to

the

to

tentacles

this difference in func-

that they do

not secrete

spontaneously, but must be excited

and

to

do

Both glands

so.

tentacles

nitrogenous matter. insect

alights

on

this fly-catcher, the

When a

leaf

;

and as

it

6.

— Glands

an

liciii,

matrnified.

of

drops of secretion, with which the

and

readily,

adhere to

moves other drops accumulate,

length, bathed with the viscid secretion,

powerless, sinks

on

leaf oi Drosflphyl-

tentacles are studded, at once, it

Fig.

speedily absorb

down and

dies,

it

until, at

becomes

on the small

glands with which the leaves are

covered.

sessile

The

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE.

70

no power of motion, and are not con-

tentacles have

The

sequently sensitive to the touch. operation

fly-catching

That shown by

performed by the secretion alone.

is

the tentacles are capable of absorption

is

the aggregation of the protoplasm after contact with

When

nitrogenous substances.

the insect

ex-

falls

hausted and dead, smothered with the viscid secretion of the tentacles, upon the small sessile glands, the contact stimulates the latter to secretion, and their action that the prey lated.'

The

process

differs therefore

the insect

insects are captured ;

but after

caught, and deposited upon the small

is

is

by

dissolved and assimi-

is

by which the

from that of the Sundews

glands, the

sessile

digestion,

it is

process

evidently the

of

same

disintegration, in

all

and

essential par-

ticulars.

An

allied plant, at the

Cape of Good Hope {Rori-

dula dentatd) probably acts

no

living specimens

in

a similar manner, but

have been examined. The leaves

are studded with glands, which secrete viscid matter, to which insects and other bodies adhere.

The same

ma}' be said of an Australian plant,

belonging to another genus {Byblis giganted).

named

can only

be

concerning

whom

The Sundew '

provisionally,

further information

as is

These

individuals desired.

family {DroseracccB) includes the six

Darwin, " Insectivorous

Plants,'' p. 341.

J'EJVi/S'S

FL V- TRA P.

7

genera to which we ha\-c drawn attention, and of those the true

Sundews {Droscra) and Venus's Fly-trap

most important. Of the true Sundews there are no less than one hundred species^ " which range in the Old World from the Arctic {Dionosa) are the

regions to

Southern India, to the Cape of

Hope, Madagascar, and Australia; and

World from Canada

in

the

Good

New

There

to Terra del Fuego."

is

every reason to suppose that the same habits, and carnivorous propensities, are in all this

common

wide range, these humble

to

all,

little

and

that,

bog plants

are ever exposing their glittering tentacles to the sun,

and luring myriads of

insects to their destruction.

Bright and glorious

Written

all

is

that revelation,

over this great world of ours;

Making evident our own In these stars of earth

creation,

— these

golden flowers.

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE.

72

CHAPTER CARNIVOROUS PLANTS

The the

IV.

— SIDE-SADDLE

FLOWERS.

Pitcher-plants, properly so called, are natives of

Old World,

World

representatives

their

the

in

New

are called Side-saddle flowers, or Sarracenias.

In the true Pitcher-plants the curious pitchers are

suspended at the ends of the

leaves, of

which they

are prolongations, but in the Sarracenias the entire

folded and modified into a kind of pitcher.

leaf

is

The

eight

North American species are found

in

the

eastern States, in bogs, and in places covered with

shallow water.

Their leaves, which give them

a

character entirely their own, are pitcher-shaped, or rather they are trumpet-shaped, standing erect, collected in tufts,

ground.

and springing immediately from the

They send up

at the flowering season

one

or more slender stems, each of which bears a single flower,

which

character,

is

with

itself

a

of a peculiar appearance and

fancied

resemblance to a side-

saddle,

and hence the popular name.

shown

that there arc at least two dificrent kinds, or

types, of pitcher in this group of plants.

the

mouth

is

open and the

lid

It

has been

In one kind

stands erect, so that the

SIDE-SADDLE FLOWERS.

73

more or less abundance. In the other kind the mouth of the tube is closed with a lid, and into these the rain can hardly, if ever, tube receives the rain-water

in

find ingress.^

As

long ago as the year 1815

the

fly-catching

propensity of these plants was observed and com-

mented upon,

in

a communication to the President of

the Linnaean Society.

made have

Many

of the assertions then

since been verified

they excited but

little

receive implicit credence.

although at the time

;

notice,

and perhaps did not

"If,"

says the writer, "in

when

the months of May, June, or July,

the leaves of

these plants perform their extraordinary functions in

the greatest perfection,^ some of them should

removed will

to a house

and fixed

soon be perceived that

in

be

an erect position,

flies

are

attracted

it

by

them. These insects immediately approach the fauces of the leaves, and leaning over their edges appear to

with eagerness something from

sip

surface.

allured, as

it

*

^

The

fly

few seconds,

slips

and

taste,

which has thus changed

situation will be seen to stand unsteadily,

for a

internal

would seem by the pleasures of

they enter the tubes. its

their

In this position they linger, but, at length

falls to

it

totters

the bottom of the

" Gardener's Chronicle," August 29th, 1874, p, 260. These observations relate chiefly to one species, Sarracenici

variolaris.

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE.

74

where

tube,

is

it

either drowned, or attempts in vain

The

to ascend against the points of the hairs.

seldom takes wing

much

flies

rapidly that a tube it

becomes

and escapes. In a house

in its fall

infested with

is

fly

this

entrapment goes on so within a few hours, and

filled

necessary to add

water, the

natural

quantity being insufficient to drown the imprisoned

The

insects.

leaves of other species might well be

employed as

indeed,

fly-catchers,

I

am

credibly

informed that they are in some neighbourhoods.

The

leaves of Sarracenia flava, although they are very

capacious, and often

grow

to a height of three feet

many insects The cause which attracts

or more, are never found to contain so as those of other species. flies

is

evidently a sweet viscid substance resembling

honey, secreted by, or exuding from, the internal surface of the tube.

mences,

it

From

the margin, where

an inch. The falling of the insect as soon as the tube

it

com-

does not extend lower than one fourth of

is

it

enters

wholly attributable to the downward or

inverted position of the hairs of the internal surface of

the leaf

At

hairs are

plainly

the bottom of a tube, split open, the

as the eye ranges

shorter

downwards upward they gradually become

discernible pointing

and attenuated,

surface, covered

by the

ceptible to the

naked

touch.

It

is

till

bait,

at,

or just below the

they arc no longer per-

eye, nor to the

here that the

;

fly

most delicate

cannot take a hold

SIDE-SADDLE FLOWERS. strong to support

sufficient!)-

75

but

itself,

The

falls.

up against the points of have often tested in the most satisfactory

inability of insects to crawl

the hairs

I

manner."^

The annexed

figure represents the pitchers of the

species to which these observations refer also that

is

on which

many

It

(fig. 7).

subsequent and confirma-

tory experiments were made.

The

tissues of the internal, or lining, surfaces of the

Sarracenia are not identical in

pitchers

in

species.

In some, and probably most, there are four

all

the

kinds of surfaces, proceeding from the mouth downw^ards to the

bottom of the

tube.

First,

there

an attractive surface, often brightly coloured, occupies the inner face of the

lid,

with the mouth of the pitcher, honey-secreting glands.

is

and

this, in

A\'hich

common

covered with minute

Then, secondly, there

conducting surface of glassy

is

cells,

is

a

which are elon-

gated into conical processes overlapping each other, like the tiles of a house, so as to afford

for

no foothold

an insect attempting to crawl up again.

This

is

by a large granular surface, which is smooth and polished so as to afford no foothold.

succeeded

And,

finally,

there

is

a detentive

occupies the lower part of the pitcher.

^

Dr. James

Society," vol.

xii.

McBride

in

" Transactions

surface,

which

It is

studded

of the

Linntean

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE

76

which converge towards the

with deflexed rigid

hairs,

axis of the cavity

so that an insect,

them,

is

;

effectually detained,

and

its

if

once amongst

struggles have

no

^mX^-^'i

Fz]^.

7.— Pitchers

of Sarraccnia variolaris, reduced.

Other result than to wedge in the pitcher. '

it

lower and more firmly

^

"Gardener's Chronicle," September

5,

1874, p. 293.

SIDE-SADDLE FLOWERS.

A similar structure thus described

is

Fig.

8.

in

Sarraccnia purpurea

by Mr. W. H.

Gilburt,i

7;^

(fig.

in

8)

his

— Pitcher oi Safracenia purpurea, reduced, with section.

memoir on " The Histology of Pitcher-Plants." He " The interior surface of this pitcher is divided

says

'

:



W. H.

Gilburt in " Journal of the Ouekett Microscopical

Club," November, 1880, vol.

There

vi.,

p.

154.

a characteristic figure of

this Sarracenia in old Gerarde's "Herbal" (1597), where it is called "hollow-leaved sea-lavender," and stated to be copied from Clusius, " for the is

strangenesse thereof, but hope that some or other that travelL

by

may

and know it and bring it home with them, that so a perfecter knowledge thereof." P. 412.

into forraine parts

finde this elegant plant,

this small expression,

we may come

to



FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE. On

into four zones.

the

first

one, or that nearest the

mouth of the pitcher, are numerous stomata, and also number of strongly developed rigid hairs, which

a large

The second zone

point downward.

by the

fact that

each

cell

characterised

is

of the surface

is

prolonged

downward

into a short

mammillary its

process,

wall being striated

We

longitudinally.

next come to a sion which

is

divi-

smooth,

hairs are entirely absent,

and the

sinuous

The by and long

cells are

outline.

in

fourth division far is

the

crowded with

hairs,

the points

of which are Fi'^. 9.

SmTacciiia ptn'picrea,

a Section of gland. b Hair from upper zone. c Hair from lower zone.

rected

is

longest,

all

towards

di-

the

base, but they are not

so stout or strong as

Gilbitrt.

those found near the

mouth of the hairs of all

the (fig.

the

pitcher."

upper

In

zone

explanation

are

shown

the

rigid

to agree

in

respects with an ordinary trichome, being simply

outgrowth

of

a

single

cell.

These

hairs

9) on their external surface show a few dceply-

SIDE-SADDLE FLOWERS. cut longitudinal striations, in

fact,

79

marked are

so well

they that the hair might almost be described as

fluted.

Yet are they in error who have described them as made up of a bundle of rod-like cells. Again, he says, " All these modifications of surface are, without doubt, of

value to the plant, and in this direction, that while

they will allow an insect to enter, and pass down the tube,

it is

almost impossible for

it

many

Thus

to return.

they become veritable insect-traps.

The

pitchers of

species contain fluid, but nothing corresponding

to a digestive fluid has been detected in them."

As

to the fluids,

misinterpretation. in

mind

tion

we must

To

this

carefully guard against

end

it

must be borne

that the honey-like, or saccharine, exuda-

from the

lip

of the tube,

and the

fluid,

con-

tained in greater or less quantity at the bottom of

the tube, are two quite different and stances.

The

distinct sub-

latter will receive attention hereafter,

but our present subject

is

as a bait or lure at the

the secretion which

mouth of the

is

found

tube.

This,

combined with the bright colouring, may be fairly assumed to have been provided for some special purpose. attracts

Dr. flies,"

McBride calls it the "cause which and Dr. Millichamp, of South Carolina,

set himself to investigate this,

and some other

dis-

puted points, upon living plants.

Having discovered some advanced plants of Sarracenia, he had no difficulty in detecting, in

almost every

leaf,

the sugary

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE.

So

or honey-like exudation,

secretion

noticed

by Dr.

McBride, and other observers, as being found at the

mouth

" I

of the tube.

found

he writes,

it,"

in the place described, save that

wards more than a quarter of an an

inch, or

extended down-

inch, generally hali

even three quarters of an inch.

I

also

more sparingly under the arched lid, or upper leaf, in and among the thick and coarse found there, and which, I believe, are thicker and

found lip

it

" precisely

it

of the

hairs

coarser than those in the lowermost portion of the tube.

Dr.

McBride,

however,

failed

to

trace

the

continuance of the sugary exudation, which

I

quently found glistening, and somewhat

along

viscid,

fre-

the whole red or purple -coloured border, or edging of

the broad wing, extending from the cleft in the lower lip,

even

to the

There

gro?md.

is,

therefore, a painted

or honey-baited pathway, leading directly from the petiole (or the it

ground

extends on each

the

lips,

itself)

up

to the mouth,

side, as far as the

from which

where

commissures of

runs within, and downwards,

it

for at least half an inch." "

One can now

readily understand

so frequently be found

among

insects at the base of the tube.

saccharine juices

is

well

ants should

Their fondness for

known, and, while reconnoi-

tring at the base of the leaf,

and bent on plunder, they

are doubtless soon attracted

honeyed path lying

why

the earliest macerated

by the sweets of the

right before them, along

which

SIDE-SADDLE FLOWERS. ihey

may

eat as

8i

they march, until the mouth

is

reached, where certain destruction awaits them."^

In order to determine the character of the sac-

charine exudation, and whether intoxicating

properties.

Millichamp

Dr.

any

possessed

it

collected

a large number of mature, and most sugary, leaves,

which he placed

home, and

sat

watching the

vessels of water

in

down

them

before Flies

result.

on reaching

for

two

hours

were soon attracted to

the leaves, but by no means greedily, and

many were

entrapped, the buzzing of unfortunate prisoners being incessant.

with the

Finding that he could not see the process

lids in their

normal

position,

he turned back-

wards the greater part of the overhanging

lid,

and

let

daylight into the prison, so that the whole region of the

sugar countries could be seen, and examined,

while the

flies

were busy at their food.

"After turning back the

he says, "the

flies

lids

of most of the leaves,"

would enter as

before, a

few alighting

on the honeyed border of the wing, and walking upward sipping as they went to the mouth, and





entering at the cleft of the lower alight on the top of the lid roof, feeding there

;

but most,

ferred to alight just at the

^

Prof.

Asa Gray

in "

lip

G

others would

it

seemed

to me, pre-

commissure of the

New York Tribune

Chronicle," June 27, 1S74.

;

and then walk under the

lips.

;" also " Gardener's

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE.

82-

and

enter the tube immediately there, feed-

either

ing downward upon the honey pastures, or would linger at the trunk, sipping along the whole edge of

the lower

and eventually enter near the

lip

cleft.

After entering (which they generally do with great caution and

they begin again to

circumspection)

but their foothold, for some reason or other,

feed,

seems unsecure, and they occasionally

slip,

as

it

ap-

pears to me, upon this exquisitely soft and velvety declining pubescence.

The

smeared over the whole disposed in separate

nectar

not exuded or

is

of this surface, but

little

drops.

I

seems

have seen them

regain their foothold after slipping, and continue to sip,

but always moving slowly and with apparent

caution, as

if

aware that they are treading on dan-

gerous ground.

After sipping their

quently remain motionless, as

if

fill

they

fre-

satiated with delight,

and, in the usual self-congratulatory

manner of

proceed to rub their legs together, but in

flies,

reality, I

suppose, to cleanse them.

It

themselves to

themselves against the

flight, strike

is

then they betake

opposite sides of the prison-house, either upward or

downward, generally the former. Obtaining no perch or foothold, they rebound off from this velvety microscopic c//^^'>.

end

in

26.— Traveller's Joy {Clematis

three hours and a quarter.

vitalba).

In another case

TWINERS AND CLIMBERS. a

round a stick

petiole curled completely

These

hours.

four hours,

were

petioles

and the

sticks

left

the petiole

in

twelve

curled for twenty-

were then removed, but

they never straightened themselves. thinner than

201

itself,

took a twig

I

and with

it

lightly

rubbed several petioles four times, up and down

;

these in an hour and three-quarters

became slightly curled the curvature increased during some hours, and then began to decrease, but after twenty-five ;

hours from

the time of rubbing, a vestige of the

Some

curvature remained.

rubbed twice, that

is,

other petioles similarly

once up and once down, became

perceptibly curved in about two hours and

They became

When

a

half.

straight again in about twelve hours."

the petiole embraces a twig

it

^

swells per-

ceptibly for two or three days, and ultimately

becomes

twice as thick as one which has embraced nothing.

The same happens climbers.

also in

A section

the case of other leaf-

of such a swollen petiole,

when

examined under the microscope, exhibited an entire change of structure, whereby it had become more rigid and woody, simulating the structure of the stem.

It

would seem,

therefore, that this

the structure of the clasping petiole to be

serviceable

to

the plant,

strength to the curved

'

portion,

is

change

in

one likely

by giving greater and thus enabling

Darwin, " Movements of Climbing Plants,"

p. 57.

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE. it

to hold

more firmly

greater shocks

;

to

its

support, and withstand

addition

in

to

which the greater

thickness of the petiole would lessen

its

chance of

being forcibly unwound again from the twig

embraced.

somewhat

it

had

Several species of Tropceoltim presented similar

phenomena

in

many respects. They

climb also by means of the curvature of the petioles

Fig. 27.

of

— Swollen

the leaves.

more

The

petiole of Clematis vitalba.

petioles

are in

sensitive than those of clematis.

some

The

species slightest

rub caused them to bend in about three minutes in

one

case,

and

another species the petiole, after

in

a slight rub, became curved in

twenty minutes.

fruit

It is

capsules of the

in six, eight,

ten,

and

not unusual to see the green

common

nasturtium in gardens

bent over abruptly upon the stem, and even occa-

TWINERS AND CLIMBERS. sionally

making a complete

or

turn,

203

This

loop.

habit has been noticed also in other species.

Two

of the

commonly

cultivated climbing annuals

These are Majirandia Barclaymia

are leaf-climbers.

and LopJiospernium scandcns.

No special feature neces-

sary to be noted here was developed in the experi-

ments on these

mentioned chiefly

plants, but they are

on account of the

may be

with which they

facility

by those who may desire to repeat these observations for themselves, and trace all the phenocultivated

mena of leaf-climbing. The little fumitory

{Fiimaria

officinalis)

humble example of a climber of

Some

this

is

kind

also a 28).

(fig.

of the petioles were determined to be sensitive

to touching,

and responded thereto

The young

and a quarter.

in

about an hour

intcrnodes forming the

terminal shoots of the stem and branches

constant rotation. special

The

leaves also have their

spontaneous movement.

common weed

are

As

this plant

in

own is

a

there need be no difficulty in verifying,

and even supplementing, the observations already made.

The

not so

common

Corydalis ;

it

is is

a closely allied plant, but intermediate between

climbers and tendril-bearers, with of both

The

(fig.

some of the

leaf-

habits

29).

by means of the development of the tips of the leaves into hooks, are so few, and those are exotic, that we may dismiss them with plants which climb

FREAKS OF PLANT

204

a

LIFE.

The end

brief explanation of the process.

leaf (in tion,

Gloriosa Plantii)

which

thickened and at

is

subsequently

it

to catch

little

enough

and

hook

caught

is

by

somewhat it,

rigid

enough

officinalis).

The

inner

sensitive, and,

when

any object and fasten the

is

nearly straight;

— Common Fumitory {Fumaria

surface of the

a twig

first

bends downwards and forms a hook,

which becomes strong

Fig. 28.

of the

forms a narrow projec-

plant.

the extremity curves

inwards and permanently seizes

it.

If

a

nothing

TWINERS AND CLIMBERS.

205

caught the hook remains open and sensitive for some time, but ultimately the extremity slowly curls is

inwards and forms a

coil at

the end of the

one leaf the hook remained open

When

days.

Fig. 29.

ring

all

We

now

tendrils

'

In

thirty-three

the tip has curled into the form of a

— Climbing

sensibility

open some

for

leaf.

Corydalis [Corydalis claviculata).

is

sensibility

lost, is

but as long as

it

remains

retained.^

pass on to tendril-bearers, premising that

are

in

most cases modifications of leaves

Darwin, " Movements of Climbing Plants,"

p. 79.

FREAKS OF PLANT

2o6

LIFE.

transformed into filaments, which are used wholly

leaf so modified

and a few

may

In other words, a tendril

for climbing.

that

is

it

lateral branches,

with none of the functions

new and

of leaves, but with a

temporaneous with

the

be a

reduced to the midrib

special function con-

modification,

that

viz.,

enabling the plant to climb and maintaining

But a

that position.

may

tendril

It

what organs are so modified themselves do not seem to

botanists

in

organ.

matters not, in so far as the present inquiry

concerned,

of

also be a modifi-

some other

cation of the flower-stalk, or of

it

in

;

is

fact,

be entirely

agreed on this point.

Very few plants with tendrils possess the power of climbing up an erect stick, but most of them exhibit rotation

in

the growing points, performing

revolutions not unlike in character to those of twiners,

and

like

in

manner

different

in

movement, though similar

directions.

in its action,

purpose.

In twiners the oscillation

search of

some

This

has a different

is

evidently in

object around which to entwine; in

tendril-bearers in order to bring the tendrils in contact

with some support.

also rotate

in

internodes,

and

many

The

species

petioles,

;

move

tendrils

in in

In Cobaa scandens, a well-known climber cultivation, the tendrils are ten

length,

themselves

some the tendrils, harmony together. in

common

or eleven inches in

and revolve rapidly and vigorously.

Three

TWINERS AND CLIMBERS.

207

large circular sweeps were observed within an hour

and a

quarter, but the

growing point does not

rotate.

In Ecliinocystis lobata, a plant of the cucumber family, the tendrils, which arc from seven to nine inches in length, revolve as well as the internodes, but over

a wider surface.

The

circles

swept by the tendrils

are from fifteen to sixteen inches in diameter, whilst

those of the internodes are not more than about three

The

inches.

quickest rate of motion for the comple-

tion of a revolution

was about one hour and

three-

In a passion-flower the internodes as well

quarters.^

as the tendrils rotate, the former very rapidly, per-

forming

its

an hour.

revolution in an average period of about

In a species of trumpet-flower {Bigiionia

littoralis)

the mature tendrils rotate

much

slower than

the internodes, the former taking six hours to per-

form a revolution, and the

latter

two hours and

In the Virginia creeper neither the

three-quarters.

internodes nor the

tendrils

possess

the power of

rotation,

That

tendrils arc sensitive to a touch,

one might

expect from the purposes they are called upon to serve, but this faculty varies in different species.

one of the passion-flowers the tendrils

the curved

1

are

tips,

{JPassiflora gracilis)

thin, delicate,

and

straight,

In

where except

a single delicate touch on the concave

Darwin, " Movement of Climbing Plants,"

p. 128.

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE.

2o8

surface of the tip caused

that in two minutes

it

to curve immediately, so

it

formed an open

The

spire.

movement was generally perceptible within half a minute

after

being touched.

A

which curls

tendril

through being touched, but does not embrace anystraightens

thing,

the

often

tendril

again,

by a second touch.

irritated

how

itself

was

same

selected,

tendril

and

but

In

order to ascertain

may

one times

be excited one

this alternately straightening

answered to the stimulus no

itself,

becomes

soon

less

than twenty-

Asa Gray has observed an

equally rapid

in fifty-four hours.

Professor

response to a touch in the tendrils of a plant of the

cucumber

family, but instances of such rapidity are

In some, the

rare.

minutes, in others

some It

is

exhibition

movement it

of

is

takes place after a few

an hour or two, but

sensibility

in all

has been observed.

noteworthy that drops of water sprinkled with

a syringe, so as to resemble appeared to have the

falling rain, in

least

stimulating

most cases a touch from another have no

influence,

tendril

no instanceeffect.

In

seemed to

although, in the bryony and the

vine other tendrils have been seen embraced.

The lata).

Darwin

of tendrils to light

sensibility

illustrated

In

by the trumpet-flower his

experiments

observes,

"

In two

on

may

also

be

{^Bignonia capreo-

these

plants,

Mr.

instances, a pair of leaves

stood so that one of the two tendrils was directed

TIVIXEKS towards the

light,

of the house

over

its

CLIMBERS.

and the other

209

to the darkest side

the latter did not move, but the oppo-

;

one bent

site

AND

itself

upwards and then

first

fellow, so that the

two became

right

one

parallel,

above the other, both pointing to the dark.

I

then

turned the plant half-round, and the tendril which

had turned recovered opposite one which

original position,

its

had

not

before

On

turned over to the dark side.

another plant,

three pairs of tendrils were produced at

by three

time

shoots,

differently directed.

only on one In two days

side,

I

this

all

placed the pot

in

a

six tendrils pointed with

all

same

the

happened

to

be

box open

and obliquely facing the

truth to the darkest

do

and

and the

moved, now

light.

unerring

corner of the box, though to

each had to bend

manner.

a different

in

Six wind-vanes could not have more truly shown the direction of the wind than did these branched tendrils the course of the stream of light

the box.

I left

twenty-four hours, and

round

;

which entered

these tendrils undisturbed for about

but they had

then

now

turned

lost their

the pot

ment, and could not any longer avoid the

The

rotation

in

the

tendrils

of

retarded and in others accelerated

^

Darwin, " Movements of Climbing

P

half-

power of move-

some by the

light."^

plants

is

action of

Plants,'' p. g8.

FREAKS OF PLANT

2IO

the light.

Those of the

to be insensible to

its

The mode by which

others,

seem

tendrils clasp is

and attach them-

variable, even in the

same

In some, they twine spirally, like a cork-

genus. ;

and some

influence.

selves to their supports

screw

pea,

LIFE.

in others

they grasp a projection in a manner

resembling the foot of a bird themselves

attach

;

in others, again, thc\'

by hooks or grapnels

and

;

in

others, the sharp

points

arc

serted

and

in

in-

cracks or

fissures,

minute holes,

though

this latter

some

in

al-

cases,

seems to be only a temporary expedient.

The most mode of

Fig. 30.

— Hooked

tendril, like foot of

from Bignonia Tijccdiana. hook magnified (

48.

wax flowers,

interesting to botanists because of its

-Zebra Orchis

{Oiiiidiiau zcbrinum).—'' Gardener's

Chronicle."

departure from the ordinary type, the pollen masses

METEORIC ELOWERS.

Our

those

a similar nature to

being of

273

of

illustration of a Ceropegia (page

192) exhibits

the vasc-likc

shape which those flowers

whilst others

are

much more

Orchids.

assume,

and scarcely

simple,

conspicuou s.

The

"

hand plant

"

stamens

Mexico

of

platanoides) has acquired

its

{Clieirostemon

designation from the

being extended like the

five fingers

of a

hand, from a large calyx, like a leather cup, true petals being absent.

The

flowers secrete a quantity

of liquid like sugar and water, tasting and smelling

and water.

like toast

Each flower continues about a

fortnight in perfection before Avas narrated of this flower,

that

it

it

begins to fade.

when

first

was so great an object of

found

It

in 1787,

curiosity with all

the inhabitants of New^ Spain, that the flowers w^ere

gathered with avidity by the Indians, even before their full expansion,

and thus the seeds were not

The tree was venerated from time immemorial by the Indians, who believed it to be

allowed to ripen.

a solitary

tree,

of which no other existed or could

exist in the world.

Nevertheless other trees were

discovered in Guatemala in iSoi.^ Side-saddle flowers {Sarraceiiia) are surmounted by a kind of hood, not unlike a parasol, with the petals

hanging

out, all

'

round the margin,

like

little

"Botanical Magazine," plate 5,135.

saddle-

FREAKS OF PLANT

274

Of

flaps.

LIFE.

a different character, but no less strange,

are the laterally flattened pink flowers of a plant

now common of

"

in gardens,

Dutchman's

Some

which

breeches

"

of the tubular flowers are

to merit the old belief that they

of the

first

bore the

{Dielytra

name

spectabilis).

beautiful

enough

were the habitations

"good people."

'Twas

Where

I

that led you thro' the painted meads,

upon the flowers, Ranging on every leaf an orient pearl, Which, struck together with the silken wind the light fairies danced

Of their

loose mantles,



made

a silver chime.

Note. By an unfortunate accident the manuscript of this^ and the five or six succeeding chapters, was lost on its way to the printers, and had to be re-written under disadvantages, for the notes and memoranda accumulated during some fifteen years had been incorporated, and the originals destroyed. Undoubtedly some omissions will have to be accounted for by this circumstance.

FREAKS OF PLANT

CHAPTER

LIFE.

275

XIII

HYGROSCOPISM.

HygROMETRIC and Hygroscopic arc two terms which have been appHed indiscriminately, or interchange-

movements

ably, to indicate certain

in

the parts of

plants resulting from a susceptibility to dryness or moisture.

These phenomena are often exhibited by

dead and

dried organs, but sometimes during vitality^

mark a

It is difficult to

phenomena nor

is

similar,

between such

distinct line

by dead and

as exhibited

living tissue,

this essential, since in all cases the causes are

and consist

in the different size, form,

density of subjacent series

and contract, at

by absorption

of

different rates,

or

loss

cells,

and

which expand

and to diverse extent,

of moisture, thus producing

twisting, curving, or contortion in alternate directions.

In other words,

it

may be

accounted for

"

by supposing

that the cells on one side are larger, and have thinner walls than those on the other

;

and these

will there-

fore

be most easily distended when placed

and

will soonest lose their fluid in drying."

One

of the oldest and best

hygroscopism,

is

the

awn of T

2

known

in water,

illustrations of

the wild oat {Avefia

FREAK'S OF

276

times gone by, has been taken ad

fatiia), which, in

vantage of by designing lous

and

men

their lower portion,

to

impose on the credu-

These awns are twisted

superstitious.

even that of the

PLANT LIFE.

in

and so susceptible of moisture,

human

damp

breath, or a

hand, that

they at once exhibit spontaneous movement, twisting

and writhing as

endued with animal

if

glers in the

"Juggood old time life.

predicted events, and told fortunes,

from

and, to

cover

its

motions

;

the cheat,

they called the

awn

the

'

leg of an Arabian spider,'

or 'the leg of an enchanted fly.'

"

The

it

true rendering

phenomena, when

of the

came

to

supplanted

be understood, the

jugglers.

Hooke, one of the early Fig. 49.

—Wild oat {Avejia

writers

on

objects,

saw beneath the

microscopical

faiuci).

mystery, for he writes " Its

sensibility

to

changes

seems to depend on the

awn

is

stances, one that

is

parts, for the

in

different

the

which



texture of

its

composed of two kinds of subvery porous, loose, and spongy,

into which the watery streams of the air easily forced,

:

atmosphere

will

may be

very

be thereby swelled and ex-

HYGROSCOPISM. tended

dimensions

in its

hard and

close, into

or not at

all

;

277

and a second that

is

more

which the water can very Httle

penetrate, this therefore retaining always

very near the same dimensions, and the other stretching and shrinking, according as there

moisture or water in

its

pores,

is

more or

less

by reason of the make

and shape of the parts the whole body must necessarily

unwreath and wreath

which, although not a native,

Another

itself"^ is

grass,

often cultivated, has

very long awns, which are subject to twisting and writhing under increase or

The whole

structure

of this species were

decrease

of

and mode of action in made the subject of an

moisture.

the awns elaborate

by Mr. Francis Darwin." The seed terminates downwards in a sharp, strong, oblique point, armed with a dense plume of barb-like hairs upwards it is continued in a strong, woody awn, of which the lower part is strongly twisted on its own investigation

;

axis,

and

its

upper portion untwisted and fringed

with a series of beautiful hairs, so as to impart a feathery appearance.

It is

bent like a knee between

the twisted and untwisted portions. fixed,

is

and the awn

free,

When

the seed

moisture applied to

causes the lower portion to untwist, and with

it

it

the

Hooke, " Micrographia," p. 151. Hygroscopic Mechanism by which Certain Seeds Bury Themselves," " Linnsean Transactions," 2nd series, vol. i., *

-

"On the

p. 149-

FREAKS OF PLANT

278

feathered upper part

movement

is

carried round, so that the

As

conspicuous.

is

LIFE.

the moisture evapo-

lower portion of the

rates, the twisting of the

awn

again takes place, and the twisting and untwisting

may be

repeated at

will,

as moisture

If the feathered

withheld.

and the seed

is free,

is

applied or

end of the awn

fixed,

is

the latter will be carried round,

movement The object of

rotating with the

of the twisting or un-

twisting awn.

the investigations allu-

ded to was to determine what was the reason twisting,

and what purpose

of the plant.

which

may

it

served in the

Without entering

be consulted at

will, it

into

for this

economy

the details,

may be assumed

as proved that the hygrometric property possessed

by the awn, whereby

twisted and untwisted, would

it

enable the sharp point at the lower extremity of the seed to penetrate and bury

itself in

the ground.

It

was shown by experiment "that the seed was buried, both as it untwists, and also as it returns to a state By a combination of these two processes of torsion. the

awn

is

thrust into the soil to such a depth as to

cover up the seed completely."

A seed entangled in

the branches of a low bush, and

left

eight days,

had buried

itself to

out of doors for

a depth of thirty-one

millimetres, or nearly double the length of the seed,

impaling a piece of rotten leaf

in its

way.

It

was

found that seeds dropped from a height of a few feet usually preserved a nearly vertical position, striking

HYGROSCOPISM. the ground with the point.

If

279

allowed to

low vegetation they become fixed

in a

fall

among

more or

less

oblique position, the seed resting on the ground.

The

length of the feather renders entanglement easy^

and,

when a seed

to hold

it

fast

is

The movement allied species

once entangled, the hairs serve

and prevent the wind blowing in

in the

it

away.

awn of Stipa spartea, an Red River colony, cause the

the

sharp, rigid points of the seed to enter

and bury

themselves in the wool of the sheep with which the grass

comes

into contact.^

Further than

this, it is

by their movement, and cause the death of the

affirmed that the seeds penetrate the skin screw-like

At

same time that hygroscopism receives an by these grasses, its utility is demonstrated by the dissemination of the seeds, and continuance of the species. In the Geranium family, animals.

the

illustration

after the ovules are fertilised, the centre of the recep-

tacle continues to

grow

until

it

is

prolonged into a

long beak, with the seeds arranged around the base,

and the elongated beak.

The

styles applied to the sides of the

peculiar beak-like form which the fruit

thus assumes has acquired for the plants the popular

names of

Crane's-bill, Stork's-bill, &c.

The mode

in

which the carpels are loosened at the base, and curl

upwards

like a

^

See

watch-spring to the top of the beak,

Museum No.

2,

Royal Gardens, Kew.

is

FREAKS OF PLANT

28o

familiar to all

who have observed

That the twisting

family.

LIFE.

members

the

of the

the result of an hygro-

is

awn has been demonstrated by He says "The narrow carpel is the long awn or style in drying

metric property in the Professor

Asa Gray.^

pointed at the base

;

:

bends at right angles with the

many

carpel,

and untwists

in a

moister air or

when

wondered that no one seemed account of the

way

which

in

to

wind over the loose or sandy

soil

prefer, the seed bearing end,

next to the ground, and

gives a rotary

We

had

acts so

Dispersed by the

which these species

being the heavier,

lies

the comparatively fixed

it

twisting

movement

in the soil, and,

causes

is

wet.

have given an

around which the long awn makes circular

sweeps, whether in

end

twists in

mechanism

this

as to bury the seed in the ground.

point

and

depending on the amount of dryness,

turns,

to bore into

M. Roux says that

or

untwisting.

This

to the carpel, fixes the sharp

whether twisting or untwisting,

and bury in

the ground."

itself in

Erodhnn, when the seeds are

thus interred, the moisture of the

soil

soon destroys

the epidermis, and this allows the long beak to de-

tach

itself at its articulation

planted

Thus

in

then,

good condition it

may

be seen

with the

style, leaving

quietly to

that,

by

their

it

germinate.

own hygro-

' " Use of Hygrometric Twisting of the Tail to the Carpels of Erodium," " Ainerican Journal," 3rd series, vol. xi., 1879, p. 153.

HYGROSCOPISM. scopy,

seeds

the

become

28r

own

their

and

planters,

effectually secure themselves in a favourable position

to ensure the continuance of the species.

The

little

name

cruciferous plant to which the

"rose of Jericho" JiicrocJiuntind),

been

has

applied

has a divided claim

to

of

{Anastatica

be included

with hygroscopic, and also with mystic plants.

It is

a native of the dry wastes of Northern Africa and Palestine,

a small

and

sandy deserts of Arabia.

the

bushy

not

plant,

more than

inches high.

After flowering the leaves

the branches

become

dry, shrivel,

It

is

five

or

six

fall

off,

and

and curve inwards

towards the centre, so as to form the plant into a kind of

In this condition

ball.

the

across

it

is

easily uprooted from

by the winds, blown and tossed the desert into the sea. Upon coming into

soil,

carried

contact with water the plant again unfolds

itself,

the

branches expand, the seed vessels open and disperse the seeds, which are carried by the tide and deposited

on the shore.

The property

of expanding

when

in

contact with moisture led to a superstitious regard for the plant which,

it

was

believed,

expanded on the

anniversary of the birth of our Saviour. also if

The

plant

may be

is

will

was called

kept for years,

preserved in a dry place, but at any time

root it

Rosa Mm'ice.

It

when the

placed in water, or the entire plant immersed

expand and,

it

is

said, in the course of

a few

hours the buds of the flowers will swell, and appear

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE.

282

as if

newly taken from the ground.

calls

it

that all

"

the " heath rose

the coiner spoiled the

name

plants that have bin written

more unlike unto the

Old Gerard

of Jericho,"

rose."

in the mint, for

there

of,

He

but he says

*

is

of

not any

gives a description

similar to that recorded above, with figures of the

plant in the dried and also in the expanded state.

Akin in its movements to the HierocJnintina is the "wind witch" of the Russian steppes, so graphically described by Schleiden " In autumn the stem of the thistle plant rots off and the globe of branches dries up into a ball, light as a feather, which is then driven through the air by the autumnal Avinds, over the steppe. Numbers of such balls often fly at once over the plain with such rapidity that no horseman :

can catch springs

them,

now hopping with

along the ground, onward

dance over the

turf,

suddenly a hundred "

wind witch

"

in a

now caught by an into the

feet

quick

spirit-like

eddy, rising

Often one

air.

hooks on to another, twenty more join

company, and the whole

away

short,

gigantic, yet airy

mass

rolls

before the piping east wind."^

The applied

designation the

to

" rose

capsular

of

fruiis

Jericho

Gerard, " Herbal,"

=>

Schleiden,

"The

has been

of a species of fig

marygold, from the Cape of Good

1

"

lib. 3, p.

Hope {Mesembry1,386.

Plant," p. 354,

HYGROSCOPISM.

On

anthetmun tripolmvi).

when placed open

like

a

In this

we

see the

inasmuch as

Fig.^o.

become

dry.

this circumstance, says

wisdom of an All-wise

this plant,

arid plains of

seed vessels gradually

closing again as they

Thunberg, remarking on "

the approach of rain, or

in water, these

star,

^83

which

is

found

South Africa, keeps

— Q.z.-^swXtsoiJMesembry-

antheinum tripolium closed.

its

:

Creator,

in the

most

seeds closely

Fig. 51.— Capsule of Mesembryanthetmcin hi-

poUicni open.

locked up in time of drought; but

when the rainy

season comes, and the seeds can grow, capsules,

and

lets fall

dispersed abroad."

it

opens

its

may

be

the seeds, that they

These capsules have

known by the name of " Flowers of The violent dehiscence of fruits

also

been

Crete." is

occasioned

m

FREAKS OF PLANT

284

many

LIFE.

by the hygroscopism of some of the Although this usually takes place in dead some of the instances arc of interest in this

instances

parts. tissues,

known is the fruit of the sand box-tree {H2ira crepitans). The capsule is about the size of an orange, and consists of a number of

connection.

carpels,

One

of the best

packed together side by

When

side.

dry

the carpels separate.

and

fly

apart with a

When

loud report.

once separated they

pressed their

com-

be

cannot

again

original

into

form.

These capsules were used

as

boxes,"

be-

formerly "

sand

-

fore the invention of

paper,

blotting

had to be bound

but to-

gether in order to pre//>.

52- -Sand-box {Hum

crepitans).

vent their sudden dehiscence.

unusual for them

to fly in pieces after

It

many

was not

years.

of some plants of the pea and bean have a tendency to separate at {Leguminoscs) family

The pods

become twisted with considerable force. The the valves, and

or curl large

backwards

pods

of

an

// ] 'GROSCOPIS.V.

285

African tree {Pentaclethra macropJiylld) possess this property in an exaggerated degree.

When

fastened

together by strong wires they break themselves in pieces in their efforts to

these pods

is

become

with a breadth of about

From

The

free.^

length of

from twenty-two to twenty-five inches, three and a-half inches.

the observations of Professor Oliver,

has

it

been ascertained that the increase and decrease of length between dryness and moisture cent., so that the contraction in

be

less

than three inches.

sixteen per

is

one pod would not

Contractility of a similar

character but to a less extent has been observed in a plant of the cucumber family (Echinocystis lobata)}

An

illustration of a difFercnt

adduced works.

is

furnished

one of

in

his

which bears a name

in

hygrometric predilections {Porlieria

its

Jiygyonictrlcd).

he

by Dr. Darwin,

It refers to a plant

allusion to

kind to those hitherto

"In the Botanic Gardens at Wurzburg,"

says, " there

was a plant

in

a pot, out of doors,

which was daily watered, and another ground which was never watered.

in the

and dry weather there was a great difference state of the leaflets

open

After some hot

on these two plants

;

in the

those on

the unwatered plant, in the open ground, remaining half,

or even quite, closed during the day.

'

But twigs

'

Oliver, in " Linnjean Transactions," xxvi., p. 415.

2

Wyman,

" Proceedings American Academy,"

iii.,

p. 167.

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE.

286

cut from this bush, with their ends standing in water, or wholly

immersed

in

it,

or kept in

damp

air,'

under

a bell glass, opened their leaves though exjDosed to a blazing sun, whilst those on the plant in the ground

The leaves on this same plant some heavy rain, remained open for two days they then became half closed during two days, and This plant after an additional day were quite closed. was now copiously watered, and on the following morning the leaflets were fully expanded. The other remained closed.

after

plant,

;

growing

heavy

rain,

leaflets

in a pot, after

having been exposed to

was placed before a window, with

its

open, and they remained so during the day-

time for forty-eight hours, but after an additional day

The

were half closed.

plant was then watered, and

the leaflets on the two following days remained open.

On

the third day they were again half closed, but on

being again watered remained open during the two

From

next days.

these facts we. may conclude that

the plant soon feels the want of water, and that as

soon as this occurs, leaflets,

which

in

it

partially or quite

expose a small surface to evaporation. that this

when

sleep-like

the ground

is

"

its

It is

probable

movement, which occurs only dry,

is

an adaptation against the

loss of moisture."!

'

closes

then imbricated condition

their

The Movements

of Plants," p.

-^yj.

HYGROSCOPISM. The hygroscopic of Selaginclla

have

plants

somewhat the appearance

uncommon

the classification there

when

some of the

character of

species

These

famihar to horticulturists.

is

mosses, and are not

to the species

2S7

is

in

of

large

In

greenhouses.

one entire section devoted

which have the foliage curved inwards

dry, so that

many

of

them

roll

This

tion into the form of a ball.

up by contracis

the habit of

Selaginella convahita, a species abundant in Bahia

and Pernambuco, and which from

latter has

its

also of Selaginclla lepidopJiylla,

been called the

"

Resurrection plant,"

One

habit of expanding under moisture.

phenomenon

the earliest observers of this

America was the celebrated

in

of

South

traveller Martius,

who

called the plant Lycopodiuni hygroinetriann.

variations

Sensibility to

important factor

of the ferns.

by an

elastic ring,

sporangium. turity,

"

humidity

also an

is

dispersion of the spores in

in the

many

in

In these the sporangia are girt

which

When

assists in the rupture of the

the sporangia arrive at

ma-

and are under certain favourable conditions as

to dryness, the elasticity of the ring causes

them

to

burst open with force and sound sufficient to be heard,

and

this takes place in

a direction

at,

or very near to,

a right angle with the direction of the ring."

^

This

serves to remind us that the bursting of the spathe

'

Smith, " Ferns, British and Foreign,"

p. 51.

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE.

.288

some palms, with a loud

in

as sometimes

report,

The

recorded, will be due to a like cause.

dryness

of the atmosphere inducing contraction in one series of

cells,

greater than in another, produces a violent

rupture, as in the separation of the carpels of the *'

sand-box," accompanied by a sharp sound. Microscopists hold in great favour an object which

and consists

finds a place in almost every " cabinet,"

common

of the peristome of the

{Funaria hygronietrica).

In

this,

species, especially /fj^7/z«//, the

or hood, and

when

and many other

urn-shaped receptacles

which contain the spores are at lid,

hygrometric moss

the latter

first

covered with a

away

falls

the peristome.

called

are seen

row of

to be fringed with a single or double

teeth,

These teeth converging

in-

wards cover the spores, and prev^cnt their escape,

when expanded

or recurved they permit of the free

discharge of the contents of the urn. is

moisture, opening

exceedingly sensitive to

closing

when breathed upon,

the breath evaporates.

It is

This fringe

and

or as the moisture of

a very pretty and avail-

able illustration of a vegetable hygrometer.

Some

bryologists object to this as a legitimate inference.

They

assert that the

movement

is

not

vital,

but

is

merely mechanical, resulting from the diverse character of the outer

the peristome to

be

thus

is

and inner layer of

composed.

accurately

cells,

of which

Admitting the structure described,

it

becomes

a

HYGROSCOPISM.

289

which

structural adaptation to secure a certain end, is

beneficial to the plant.

Surely

it

must be too

delicate a distinction to admit specialised structure in other instances, such as stigmatic surfaces,

and

reject

it

in this.

As

the peristome takes place whilst the plant

even whilst the urn of the plant living

;

and as

it

is

&c.,

the opening and closing of

is still

is

living,

attached and

of a manifest utility in securing

when

the dispersion of the spores at such a period as

the moisture of the atmosphere would best secure their

germination,

we

are

prepared to retain the

peristome of mosses as a satisfactory illustration of

hygroscopism. In the Liverworts {Hepaticci) the spores are mixed in the capsules with spiral threads, or elaters.

If the

contents of one of these capsules are moistened after

they have become dry, the spiral threads

v/ill

be seen

wriggling and twisting about, by means of the relaxation of the spiral, such

movement

being'

also

of assistance in the dispersal of the spores.

In the

same manner we have observed the threads in such Myxomycetes as TricJiia, in which the threads are spiral, relax

become

a

little

when moistened

after they

have

dry, but, in this instance, only to a limitec

extent.

The examples we have given

are sufficient to

show

inasmuch as there are movements in plants which result from the influences of light, temperathat,

U

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE.

290

ture,

and other causes, as demonstrated

chapters

so also there are

;

pendent upon the of

slightest variation in the

phenomena

we become

assured that,

every

there

leaf,"

is

preceding

movements which

the surrounding atmosphere.

investigate the

in

The

further

of plant-life, the if

there

is

are de-

humidity

we

more do

not " a soul in

at least a marvellous adaptation

of the parts, like a well-ordered machine, in order to secure definite and essential results. In

all

places, then,

and

in all seasons,

Flowers expand their light and soul-like wings,

Teaching

How And

us,

by most persuasive reasons,

akin they are to

human

things.

with child-like, credulous affection,

We behold

their tender

buds expand

:

Emblems of our own great resurrection Emblems of the bright and better land. ;

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE.

CHAPTER

291

XIV.

DISPERSION.

In many cases there

is

undoubtedly a close

between the form which

tionship

fruits

rela-

or seeds

assume, and the mode by which they are dispersed. If

it

be

true, as

some contend, that the ultimate is its own perpetuation, then

object of every plant

the dispersion of the seed

which consummates

all

is

an important operation,

other acts, and

it

would be

anticipated that adequate provision would be to ensure

its

full

This

attainment.

is

made

certainly not

accomplished by any uniform method, but through various agencies, and in a multitude of ways. shall

how

be able

in

some

the operation

is

comprehend

cases to

performed, whilst in others

more complex, and sometimes in dispersion is the

We

distinctly it is

One agency

obscure.

wind, which wafts seeds that are

provided with wings to their destination.

Another

which

they are

agency

undoubtedly water

is

floated to a congenial spot. tion of local force,

by

is

specialised

Another

elasticity or

means of which the seeds Another

in

are

structure

U

2

is

the applica-

hygroscopy, by

forcibly

expelled.

bv

of which

aid

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE.

292

various animals are utilised as a

means of

transport.

In these, and various collateral ways, we are enabled to associate the modifications of form with the

of distribution, and

modes

that this chapter

Illustrations will also

be found scattered

examples of these is

devoted.

it is

mode

to a few of the most striking

different

volume

through other portions of

this

when given

with other subjects, and

in association

incidentally,

especially in the chapter on " mimicry," in which the

same type of

mode

structure,

and, presumably, the

same

of dispersion will be found repeated in different

and widely separated

orders.

Neither here nor there

have we assumed the exhaustion of so

When

writing of hygroscopism

fertile

we have

a theme.

already

alluded to the facility with which the seeds are dis-

persed from such

and jerk out In a

burst open with violence

fruits as

their contents, as in the

similar

manner

sand-box

we might have

tree.

instanced

Bytincria aspcra, one of the order Stcradiacca;, but a

more

important

Mahogany fruits of

tree

tree

many

in

{Swicleiiia

which separate so

seeds, that

it is

respects

maJiogani), freely,

the

is

and disperse the

meet with any but

difficult to

the

woody frag-

ments of the capsule in the countries where it Another advantage is possessed by this flourishes. tree, in that

a

the seeds themselves are winged, like

samara, so that

combined

in

two

the same

modes of dispersion

fruit.

are

DISPERSION.

The

balsams, which a few years ago were great

favourites in country districts,

window, scatter

cottager's

Fig.

distance

by the

allusion to "

293

53.

and ornamented every

their seeds

to

a

great

— Balsam {Iinpatiens).

violent

rupture of

the

fruits,

in

which circumstance they have been called

Touch-me-not."

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE

294

A remarkable be seen

from

instance of violent dehiscence

member

in a

habits the " squirting cucumber."

its

The

dica elateriwii).

an

When

prickles. stalk,

small oval

and a half

inch

is

to

named [Momor-

of the cucumber family,

fruit,

length,

in

is

not more than

with

covered

quite ripe this separates from the

and jerks out

are mixed, from the

its juice,

little

with which the seeds

The

opening at the base.

was formerly considered valuable as a medicine, and was cultivated for that purpose in this country, fruit

but

now

to be

that

met

its

use has been superseded

is

it

rarely

with.

The witch

hazel of North

America {Haviajuclis

virginicd) exhibits a peculiar elasticity in the seeds,.

or

embryo of the

seeds,

which are thrown out with

such force as to strike people violently in the face

who

Collecting a number them on the floor, Mr. the seeds, or embryos were

pass through the woods.

of the capsules, and laying

Meehan found thrown feet,

and

We

that

out, generally to the distance of four or six in

one instance as much as twelve

might here descend a

table world than

little

we have done

feet.

lower in the vege-

hitherto,

and indicate

amongst the lower cryptogamia one or two very decided instances of the forcible

mature

fruit

corpuscles.

have observed the grass

number of cups of a

ejection

of the

In fungi, for example, all

round a spot

in

we

which a

"bird's nest fungus" {Crucibu-

DISPERSION. liini

295

vulgare) were growing, sprinkled to the height of

six or eight inches with the ejected sporangia this

is

by an

to the cup is

and

;

a species in which the sporangia are attached elastic cord, so that forcible ejection

not a recognised means by which distribution

is

Yet no other explanation can be offered for the occurrence of the sporangia on the surrounding grass. Another species {SpJiccrobolus stcllatus) affected.

normally ruptures at

apex, and

the

sporangium, like

globose

larger than a

minute, and like fungus,

in

small

pill

into the

ball,

Still

air.

another section, the

the

no more

but

mucor-

little

which grows so profusely on cowdung, an enormous distance^

ejects the little sporangia to in

expels

cannon

a

We

proportion to the size of the plant.

have

seen them covering the leaves of vines, and other plants, in

an

minute specks,

almost

Although

incredible

like

the

dung of

distance from their

at first received with

agarics

at

source.

some doubt,

C. B.

some do not simply fall from the hymenium, ejected, in some manner not yet explained,

Plowright has affirmed that the spores

but are

flies,

for three or four inches, not

of

only in a line with, but

above the plane from whence they proceed.

We

have since been able to corroborate the

two

fact, in

or three instances, but without succeeding in tracing the cause, or being

able

to

submit a reasonable

theory to account for the phenomenon.

Inasmuch

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE.

296

as

we were

at

?ceptical, with others,

first

we

greater pleasure that

Passing

now

it

with

is

recant.

to atmospheric dispersion, the seeds

of composite plants are transported from place to place, chiefly

by means of the pappus with which Although varying in different

they are crowned.

species, this coronet has but "

sion of the plant.

one purpose, the disper-

Elevated on the apex of a long

beak, the parachute of the seed of the goatsbeard

{Tragopogon pratensis)

consists

of

a

number of

slender spokes, which diffuse themselves circularl}-,

and are fashion intricate

" telarly

of the

somewhat

interwoven,"

spider's

structure

is

given as a countervail to the

great size and weight of the seed.

the dandelion pedicle, it

and

is

is

the

after

This comparatively

web.

The down

of

supported on a long and slender

an object of vulgar admiration

but

;

scarcely equals in beauty the similarly patterned

fruit of

The

the helminthia.

the contrary, sessile

— the

thistle's-down

is,

on

threads being sometimes

only spinous, at other times plumed like a feather

and the down of the coronet

latter

is

of the carlinc thistle

elegance and

circular

peculiarly light. is

remarkable

and

spread

The

for

its

plumage, and

In the sow buoys easily its silky-coated seed. thistles what we most admire is the ribbed and striated

seeds, but the

down

that diffuses

abundant and of pure whiteness.

The

them

is

seeds of the

DISPERSION. coltsfoot afford an in the order,

297

example of a structure, common is surmounted by a tuft

where the seed

of silken hairs armed, at regular intervals, with a series of denticles or spines, only visible with a

magnifier. fruit

We

have a contrast to

good

this in the curious

of the blue-bottle {Ccntaiirea cyaned) which has

a small

tuft of asbestine spines at the base,

and a large

but short tuft of rigid stout lanceolate spines on the top, the edges of each of

them indented with

and sharp serratures

a saw.

float the

seed in the

and hasten

its

like air,

but

it

close

This tuft cannot

will obviously direct

descent into the

soil,

and

it

will

be

remarked that the forward direction of the spines

must be opposed

to every influence to cast

them up

again, after having been buried under the surface."^

The

stalks of the

down

olosely together in moist

provision to secure

tiful

dandelion contract

in the

and wet weather — a beauits

dispersion only in a dry

when it is driven off by every zephyr, and not unoften by the schoolboy, who thus endeavours to

day,

resolve his doubts as to the hour

:

Dandelion, with globe of down.

The school-boy's clock in every town, Which the truant puffs amain

To

The

dispersion of seeds

delicate hairs ^

conjure lost hours back again.

is

by means of a coronet of

not confined to composite plants.

Johnston's " Botany of the Eastern Borders,"

p. 126.

FREAKS OF PLANT

298

A

may be

provision

like

LIFE.

observed in the willow

many

herbs {Epilobiuni), and in

of the ApocynacecB,

Yet

as well as the Asdepiadacece.

provision for the dispersal of seeds

is

is

only one

Another, and equally successful contriv-

the wind.

ance

this

by the agency of

the expansion of the sides of the seed into a

membranous wing.

These winged seeds reach

highest development

their

the trumpet flowers {Big-

in

where the large wings extend three or

noniacece),

four inches, and the seeds float like a large butterfly,

wafted from place to place, until a secure

is

own country such winged seeds if wc exclude the heavier and

In our

reached.

home

are usually minute, less delicate

ash,

and

latter

elm,

fruits

which

are

which prevail

We

very diverse plants.

is

dispersion

which we

in

when

by

shall

writing

the organs of

are justified, then, in assert-

ing that special provision

many

seeds through the

Spiny

fruits

are found

These

samarce.

their

refer again hereafter,

of the similarities

many

called in

their wing-like margins, to

have occasion to

of

of such trees as the maple,

aided

doubtless

arc

means of

winged

is

made

for the dispersion

air, by means of the wind. amongst the members of

of the families in the vegetable kingdom.

It

evident that the rigid spines with which they are

armed

aid

name

of

these,

in

considerably in

" caltrops "

allusion

to

their

dispersion.

The

has been applied to some of the " calcitrapa

"

which was

DISPERSIOA\ employed

in ancient warfare to harass the

One

cavalry.

299

terrestris)

is

of these kind

enemy's

of caltrops {Ti-ibuhis

widely diiTused, probably on account

of the facility with which the fruits are transported

Caltrops, or fruits of Tribuhis icrrcsiri

in

the wool

animals.

of

They have an

elegant,

symmetrical, star-like form, and the spines are very

sharp and

Another, but

rigid.

{Pedalmui niurex) has similar manner.

its

complex,

fruit

dispersion provided for in a

The name

P^^S- 55-

less

of caltrops has also been

— Fruits oi Pcdaliiiiii vutrcx.

given to one of our indigenous plants, called also "starthistle,"

on account of the sharp spines of

involucre {Centaurea calcitrapd). are the

woody

More efficient some of

recurved hooks with which

spines of fruits are terminated.

its

To

still

the

a limited extent

FREAKS OF PLANT

300

this

may be

LIFE.

seen in the small fruits of the carrot,

and a few other of the Umbelliferae, but much more strongly developed in the " burrs " of the burdock

Fig. 56.

{Lappa).

We

— Burdock {Lappa minor)

are familiar

with which these

"'

burrs

enough with the tenacity

" will

adhere to the clothing

of any one passing amongst the plants, but their

DISPERSION.

301

entanglement in the woolly coat of animals

more

complete.

Similar

burrs

XantJimni stniniarium, which

is

is

much by

produced

are

not a native plant,

but has been introduced by the pertinacious adhesion allied

of

its

fruits

common

to

tropical species {XantJiiwn spinoswn)

has by a similar means spread area,

An

the coats of animals.

itself

becoming" thereby a nuisance In South Africa

adopted homes.

it

in

over a wide

some of

its

has established

itself,

by means of the merino sheep, and

itself

through the sheep-walks of the colony to such

"

extended

a degree, and so endangered the character of the

wool through

its

achenes, that

enactments have been made pation,

kept

it

and

rigid

special

regard to

legislative its

extir-

enforcement of penalties alone has

from being a sweeping curse to the wool-

producers.

only until

In the Orange River Republic, where last

year (1872) this weed was allowed

to revel undisturbed, save

boer was given

more

in

where some stray Dutch

less to coffee-drinking

and

sleep,

and

to an intelligent regard for the future of his

pasturage,

it

had so

of the country as to

affected the

make

it

wool of some parts

nearly unremunerative

Tardy legislation on the obnoxious introduction had to be adopted there also." 1

as a staple

*

p.

Dr. John

202.

product.

Shaw

in

"Journal of Linn^an Society,"

xvi.,

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE. The

"cleavers,"

or

aparine), found in every

"goose-grass"

which are densely covered with minute hooks,

fruits

and transportation is rendered climates, where hooked fruits

easy.

of these {Mar/ynia

one

hooks are very sharp and ing the

warmer

It is in

attain a larger dimen-

they present a formidable appearance.

that

sion,

In

{Galium

hedge and thicket has small

like a needle

flesh

the pair of

diajidra)

rigid, ;

the points enter-

but even these are

exceeded by another species {Proboscidea

which

the

Jiissieiii),

Frank wont to

late

was

Buckland declare

must

created

for

have

been

express

the

purpose of sticking to the

Fiz. ^

i;?.

^'

— Hooked .

,.

fruits ,

Maj'tyina diandra.

tails

of

that

roam the

the

wild

horses

plains of t-u

ofcSouth i-UA™ America. •

horns

species

this

in

The

are often five or six inches in length, and the aspect

may

be readily imagined from our reduced figure

The same

(fig. 58).

family contains the Grapnel plants,

of which one species {HarpagopJiytiuii Icptocarpiini)

found

in

Madagascar, and another

gopJiytuni proainibcns). tive of the two,

latter,

and most in

in

all

effec-

appear-

armed with a number of

thorns, standing out

is

Africa {Harpa-

although least formidable

ance, has the capsule

woody

The

in

rigid

directions, their

DISPERSION. tips

furnished with two or three recurved

Hke miniature grapnels. such

303

a

fruit

may

being rather

to

remaining at

rest

Fig. 58.

is

in

hooks

easy to imagine

be transported,

believe (fig.

It

the

how

difficulty

the possibility of

its

59).

— Fruit oi Proboscidca Jussietii x^dMCcd.

There could scarcely be a more conclusive evidence of the utility of a large national collection of such objects as those which are the subject of this chapter

FREAKS OF PLANT

304

than a

visit to

the

museums

at

LIFE.

Kew

Gardens would

Instead of a hasty glance at mere curiosities,

afiford.

we would suppose

the visitor to foster

some such

design as to go in search of specialised forms of fruits

which would be serviceable

^'^- 59-

— Fruit of Grapnel

in dispersion

plant, natural size

;

or to trace.

{Harpagopliytum

Icptocarptiin).

in

passing from case to case and from order to order,

the recurrence of similar forms in diverse families, so like as to suggest

only to

mimicry.

With such an

be gratified by such

would venture

an

institution,

to affirm that not cnly

afford far greater satisfaction,

object,

would a

we visit

and would excite more

DISPERSION.

305

intense pleasure, but would also considerably increase

the visitor's

own

appreciation of the educational value

of an exhibition too often

without so

What liar

much

interpretation

form of the

is

and the

commonly is

not so

clear.

fruit of

The

of Trapa,

plants float

one species {Trapa

bull.

China, resembles

Another species {Trapa

largely cultivated in Cashmere.

Fig. 61.

fear,

to be assigned to the pecu-

cultivated in

the head and horns of a bispinosa)

we

memory.

— Fruit of Trapa bicornis.

Fig. 60.

bicornis),

is

fruits in the different species

or " water-chestnut," in the water,

looked upon,

as leaving a trace on the

— Fruit of Trapa bispinosa. X

In this

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE.

3o6

The

by acute

the bull's horns are replaced

fruit

spines.

cultivated to such an extent that

latter is

it is

said to constitute a large portion of the food of the inhabitants,

and

yields

Moorcroft

revenue.

about ^i2,ooo a year in

from 96,000

that

asserts

to

128,000 ass loads are yielded by the lake of Ooller.^

There

is

fruits, in

another species, with rather smaller

still

which four long

spines

rigid

are placed

nearly in the same plane, at right angles to each other

Had

quadrispinosd).

{Tt'apa

duced on land instead of water,

they been pro-

might

it

fairly

have

been assumed that these appendages would have assisted in dispersion, but under the existing circum-

stances their utility

The

not so evident.

is

suspension or retention of seeds in a favour-

able position, until in a

has been observed

marked

in

fit

condition to germinate,

some

cases in a

manner so

as to suggest a special contrivance for the

perpetuation of the species.

A

provision

of this

nature has been recorded in a plant of the sedge family, native of

which consists are at

first

themselves.

New

Zealand {GaJinia xanthopliylla),

in the filaments of the stamens,

short,

When

the ovary

the investing scales, and would

ripened so as to

is

form the nut containing the seed,

'

which

and afterwards greatly lengthen

it

fall

is

detached from

to the

ground

Royle's " Illustrations of Himalayan Botany," p. 211.

if

DISPERSION.

it

were not caught and retained by the long

ments.

more

It is

probable that the object

is

fila-

to obtain a

perfect maturity of the seeds before they drop

to the ground.!

There

is

probably

relation in principle

some

between

the suspension of the seeds in

gahnia to what takes place

amongst the members of one For

or two families of trees. instance,

which

on

inhabit

the

mangroves,

the

the

margins

swamps of

great

generally retain their

rivers,

suspended

seeds

to

the

branch until after germinahas commenced, and when they drop it is into the soft mud, where they immetion

diately take

In

root.

like

manner some of the Maghave

nolias

pended

the

at the

seeds

Fig. 62.

" Gardener's

fall.

Chronicle."

sus-

end of the umbilical cords from the

margins of the carpels, presumably

may

— Fruit of Gahnia

xantJiopJiylla suspended.

in

order that they

reach a proper degree of maturity before they

Examples of ^

this

kind are not numerous, but

"Gardener's Chronicle," December

X

2

13, 1873.

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE.

-,o8

sufficient to afford

menon

first

alluded

some explanation of the phenoSir James Smith says, in allu-

to.

sion to the Egyptian

bean {Nelunibium

speciosinn), " in

process of time the receptacle separates from the stalk, and, laden with ripe oval nuts, floats

The

nuts vegetating,

it

down

the water.

becomes a cornucopoeia of sprouting young which

plants,

at

length break loose

from their confine-

ment and take in

root

the mud."

The most remarkable

tropical

of

fruits, in their struc-

tural

aspect,

are

some of the myrtle family, the seeds of Tig. 63.

— Receptacle of the Egyptian

Bean {NcluinbiuDi

speciosuin).

which are enclosed in

a

large

woody

urn, or capsule, like

a drinking-vessel with a movable

them the

fruit

is

no

in others as large as a

form

is

lid.

In some of

larger than a small

man's head.^

elegant and urn-like, in others

walnut,

In some the it

resembles

See descriptions and figures of a large number of species in "Transactions of the Linna:an Society," vol. xxx., p. 157, &c. »

DISPERSION.

Ft^. 64.

— Monkey pots {Lecythis

309

sp.).

FREAKS OF PLANT a vase

(fig.

and are

trees,

They

64).

LIFE.

are produced on large forest-

common

throughout South America,

The monkeys

but especially in the forests of Brazil. are exceedingly fond of the

"

delicious

sapucaia

As

nuts which are produced within these capsules.

Kingsley writes

:



enough to serve

The

"

great urn-shaped

big

each kindly

drinking-vessels,

for

fruits,

provided with a round wooden cover, which becomes

and

loose,

out the savoury sapucaia nuts inside,

lets

to the comfort of will there

all

our

arise a tropic

some of the strange selfish,

poor

Ah, when

relations.'

Landsecr to draw

for us

fashions of the strange birds and

beasts of these lands

cunning,

'

.'

— to

draw, for instance, the

greedy grin of delight on the face of

some

burly, hairy, goitred old red howler, as

off a

'

monkey-cacao

'

cover,

he

lifts

and looks defiance out

of the corners of his winking eyes at his wives and children, cousins

and grandchildren, who

jabbering and screeching, and, ing their heads upside

down

monkey

sit

round

fashion, twist-

as they put their

arms

round each other's waists, to peer over each other's shoulders at the great bully, first

who must

as his fee for having roared to

feed himself

them

at sunrise on a tree top while they sat

for

an hour

on the lower

branches and looked up, trembling and delighted, at the sound and fury of the idiot sermon."^

>

Kingsley's "

At

Last," p. 277.

DISPERSION.

The name fruits,

is

of

it

falls, its lid

drops

When

the cup roll out,

:

off,

these

to

the seeds

"

then becomes a hard pot, with a narrow

These pots are used

mouth.

The sugar

which such animals frequent. disturbed,

who pick when they

sugar as

will hold,

latter,

it

their prize.

But

catching monkeys.

for

they are placed on the ground

Filled with sugar

the

applied

pot, as

said to have arisen thus

of a Lecythis

and

monkey

311

it

out leisurely

attracts

they are

till

paw, grasp as

insert the

much

and endeavour to escape with

their

doubled

being larger than

fist

mouth of the pot cannot be withdrawn, and the monkeys tenaciously holding the sugar, run off with

the

a pot firmly enclosing one paw. possible for

them

This renders

it

to escape from their pursuers

climbing, and they are easily run down."

may

^

credit of the

monkeys,

young and

inexperienced that are caught

it

be added, that

To it is

in

im-

by the the this

manner, and not the old and wary patriarchs, as intimated by the proverb, "

He

is

too

old a

common

monkey

to

in

South America,

be caught with a

Cabomba."

The

nearest resemblance

we have

in this

country

to the structure of the fruits of the Lecythis are the

comparatively minute and insignificant

little

capsules

of the Pimpernel {Anagallis) and the Henbane.

'

" Gardener's Chronicle,"

December

28, 1861, p. 1,133.

In

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE.

312

these instances the seeds are enclosed in a capsule,

which opens with a deciduous sule

is

mature the

lid falls off,

In a remote manner,

persed.

When

lid.

the cap-

and the seeds are if

dis-

such a comparison

can be legitimately made, the hood, or cap, of the theca, or capsule, in mosses falls

off,

and the spores

escape, except that they are subject to further retention, until a suitable season,

by the incurved

teeth of

the peristome. It is

of the is

easy enough to comprehend the "wherefore"

monkey

pots,

and

movable

their

but

lids,

it

not so evident why, in similar trees of the same

family, the seeds should be enclosed in hard, capsules, with no orifice,

woody

and from which there

is

no

by the decay of the thick envelope. Such are the Brazil nuts of commerce {Bcrthollctia excelsd). " The fruit, round like a cannon ball, and about the escape, but

size

of a twenty-four pounder,

harder than the

is

hardest wood, and has to be battered to pieces with the back of a hatchet to disclose the nuts.

who has hammered

at a

Any one

Bertholletia fruit will be

ready to believe the story that the Indians, fond as they are of the nuts, avoid the fruit

has

all fallen for

'

totocke

'

trees

fear of fractured skulls."

^

Capuchin monkeys, according to Humboldt, singularly fond

'

of these

'

the

till

The "

are

chestnuts of Brazil,' and

Kingsley's " At Last "

p.

276.

DISPERSION. the noise as

made by

falls

it

the seeds

313

when

the fruit

He

^

does not, however, believe

monkeys

the story current on the Orinoco, that the place themselves in a

circle,

and by

with a stone succeed in opening is

sibility in this

striking the shell

That they may

it.

possible enough, for there

monkeys do use stones

no doubt that

is

to crack nuts.

;

too often to wait

the rainy season,

of

itself,

The impos-

case would be, not in the want of wits,

but want of strength

rots

shaken

from the tree excites their appetency to

the highest degree."

try

is

till

and the monkej's must have

when

the shell

and amuse themselves meanwhile

rolling the fruit about, vainly longing

in

to get their

paws in through the one little hole at its base. Another instance of these wholly closed capsules is

the fruit

guianensis).

of

the

This

cannon-ball tree {Counntpita

fruit "is

a rough

brown

globe, as

big as a thirty-two pound shot, which you must get

down with

a certain caution,

lest that befal

a certain gallant officer

befel

America.

For, fired with a post-prandial ambition

to obtain a cannon

ball,

bamboo, and poked

at the tree.

he took to himself a long

He

not altogether as he had hoped. in

ball,

coming down, avenged

succeeded, but

For the cannon

by dropping felling him to the

itself

exactly on the bridge of his nose,

'

you which

on the mainland of

Humboldt's " Personal Narrative,"

vol. v., p. 537.

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE.

314

ground, and giving him such a pair of black eyes that he It

was not seen on parade

for a fortnight."

^

has been suggested that, in such trees as the Brazil nut, which

duced

in forests

is

pro-

swarm-

ing with monkeys, that the closed

capsule

protection,

and

had

capsule

the

is

that

a if

been

an open one, not only

would Brazil nuts make less

appearance

markets

of the

in

the

world,

but the trees would run a

risk

We we

of

must

extirpation^

confess

that

are not prepared to

accept this as a sufficient reason F/g.es.-knnonlS^\\{Courou-

are

pita guiaiiensis).

the

for

capsule.

closed

Monkey

pots

open capsules, and

the trees are not yet extirpated "

;

sapucaia

monkeys

yet "

as

with the

case speculation does

"

little

an excuse for one's own

1

are as

Kingsley's

delighted

good,

when

ig-norance.

"At

Last," p. 275.

with

the

In such a

Brazil nut." it

is

simply

DISPERSION. In

many

315

cases there appears to be no special pro-

vision for the dispersion of seeds,

and

yet,

when duly

considered, such a future has not been disregarded, It

to

may

be

covered with a pulpy

that,

attractive

fruit,

some member of the animal kingdom, the hard

seeds have thus been transported to a considerable distance,

and found a congenial

recognised

by

evident from

many much and

of our

zoologists

the

This fact

soil.

themselves,

following extract

most richly-wooded

:

as



"

will

is

be

Doubtless

landscapes owe

of their timber to the agency of quadrupeds

birds.

&c., feed

Linnets, goldfinches, thrushes, goldcrests,

on the seeds of elms,

firs,

and

ash,

and

them away to hedge-rows, where, fostered and by bush and bramble, they spring up, and Many noble oaks have become luxuriant trees. been planted by the squirrel, who unconsciously yields no inconsiderable boon to the domain he Towards autumn this provident little infests. animal mounts the branches of oak trees, strips off the acorns and buries them in the earth, as a supply He is most of food against the severities of winter. carry

protected

probably not gifted with a

memory

of

sufficient

retention to enable him to find every one he secretes,

which are thus the following trees.

left in

year,

the ground, and springing up

finally

grow

into

magnificent

Pheasants devour numbers of acorns

in the

autumn, some of which having passed through the

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE

3i6

The nuthatch

stomach, probably germinate. indirect

manner

Having twisted

also frequently

is

it

into

is

favourite tree,

it

oftentimes

falls to

the

caused to germinate by the moisture

Many

of winter.

some

one of the crevices of the

During the operation

ground, and

an

uneven, and endeavours by a series of

manoeuvres to peg bark.

in

planter.

boughs a cluster of beech-

off their

nuts, this curious bird resorts to

whose bole

becomes a

small beeches are found growing

near the haunts of the nuthatch, which have evidently in the. manner described."^ Not only do the birds and small quadrupeds

been planted

m

the dispersion of seeds in the

but even to a

much

way

assist

just indicated^

As, for instance,

greater extent.

the droppings of birds the

we have seen amongst

small undigested seeds of pulpy fruits which

devoured, which seeds retained

all

their

they

powers of

germination, especially of elderberries and mulberries.

This mode of dispersion

is

undoubtedly a very ex-

Neither can we ignore alto-

tensive one in practice.

may render in To what extent

gether the service which some insects the dispersion of minute organisms. this

may

may

be carried

give an

cumstance to

mould

it is

difficult to

illustration. find,

It is

determine, but

not an unusual

when examining

we cir-

a species of black

or of Tornla, growing on rotten wood, that

1

"

The

Zoologist," p. 442.

DISPERSION. insects

and

have been at work, destroyed the threads,

them

behind

left

exuviae.

317

These undoubtedly had passed through were mixed

their bodies, for fragments of threads

On two

with the spores.

determined

that

such

or three occasions

spores

These

insects

may

an increased

in

assist in the dissemina-

tion of such spores, as molluscs gills

we have

possessed the

still

power of germination, even perhaps degree.

cyHndrical

characteristic

do

in feasting

on the

of an agaric, and then retiring to the shelter of

some

These speculations, however,

prostrate trunk.

concern a very minute class of organisms which, as a rule,

we have deemed

it

prudent to ignore

in this

volume.

Then

there are larger animals which contribute

their share to the dissemination of plants, cially those of the

human

family.

It

and espe-

would be im-

possible to enter fully on such a topic, at the end of a chapter, but

one or two brief suggestions

may

Even to the present day, writes marked the footsteps of the bands of nations which in the middle ages emerged from Asia into Central Europe, by the advance of the be permitted.

Schleiden,^ are

Asiatic steppe plants, such as the kochia and the

Tartar sea-kale, the former into Bohemia and Carmola, the latter into

>

Hungary and Moravia.

Schleiden,

"The

Plant," p. 301.

The

FREAKS OF PLANT

3i8

North

American

savage

LIFE.

significantly

calls

our

plantain {Plantago major), or road weed, the "footstep of the whites," and a (

Vicia craccd)

Norwegian

common

species of vetch

marks the former abode of the

still

One

colonists in Greenland.

striking instances of this kind

is

of the most

the gradual exten-

sion of the thorn apple over the whole of Europe, which has followed the bands of gipsies out of Asia

;

this race

make

frequent use of this poisonous plant

in their unlawful proceedings,

vated by them, place

where

Auguste

it

and hence much

culti-

also occurs, uncalled for, near the

they

have

made

St. Hilairc says,^ "

habitations.

their

In Brazil, as in Europe,

certain plants appear to follow in the footsteps of

man,

and

preserve

frequently have

the

traces

they helped

of

me

his

to

presence

;

discover the

situation of a ruined hut, in the midst of the wastes

which extend out beyond Paracuta.

Nowhere have

the European plants multiplied in such abundance as in the plains between Theresia and

Monte Video,

and from

Already have

this city to the

the violet, the borage,

and

Rio Negro.

some geraniums, the

fennel,

others, settled in the vicinity of Sta. Theresia.

Everywhere we found our mallows and camomiles, our

milk-thistle,

but,

above

all,

our

artichokes,

which, introduced into the plains of the Rio de la

'

Introduction to " Flora of Brazil."

DISPERSION.

319

Plata,

and the Uruguay, now clothe immeasurable

tracts,

and render them useless

the

War

many

of Deliverance, in

After

for pasture."

places where the

Cossacks had encamped, was found the tick-seed, a plant allied to the goosefoots, which

quite exclu-

is

sively indigenous in the steppes on the Dnieper, and in

a similar manner was Bunias orientate spread with

the Russian hosts, in 18 14, through

Germany even

to

Paris.

A

curious circumstance has been recorded as this

chapter

passing through the press, which deserves

is

permanent

record, albeit,

it

would have been more

An

in place in the seventh chapter.

of LorantJins, which

grows on evergreen fruit

a

is

The

confined to the

and

which surrounds the

to whatever

germinates.

seed,

a parasite like the misletoe,

it falls

first

grows

recorded

for

the pur-

"

The

radicle at

and when

out,

flattened disc is

now

stage of germination of the

indicates a rambling habit

inch in length,

disc

;

it

it

has grown to about an

developes upon

its

extremity a

the radicle then curves about until the

applied to any object that

is

near at hand.

the spot upon which the disc has fastened able, the

takes

seed

upon, until the seed

peculiar locomotion

pose of securing a suitable home. first

The

trees, especially Mcniecylon.

viscid pulp,

and adheres is

is

Indian species

is

If

suit-

germination continues, and no locomotion

place

;

but

if

the

spot

should

not

be

a

FREAKS OF PLANT -LIFE.

320

embryo has the

favourable one, the germinating

This is accompower of changing its position. plished by the adhesive radicle raising the seed and

advancing cess

it

disc

end

the

at

adheres very tightly to whatever the radicle

raises

itself

in

it

the

air.

and the berry where itself,

it

is

The

the pro-

of the is

it

straightens, and

berry from whatever

viscid

make

to another spot, or, to

plainer, the

to

away

tears

has adhered

it

radicle

applied

to,

and

radicle then again curves,

by

carried

it

The

adheres again.

another spot,

to

then

disc

releases

and by the curving about of the radicle

advanced to another This, Dr.

itself

where

spot,

Watt

again

it

still

within the seed,

is

fixes

he has seen repeated

says,

several times, so that to a certain extent the

embryo,

;

the

moves about.

It

young seems

to select certain places in preference to others, particularly leaves.

The

certain to alight

upon

berries leaves,

on

falling are almost

and

although

many

germinate there, they have been observed to move

from

the

there."

1

*

leaves

to

the

stem,

and

finally

N. E. Brown in " Gardener's Chronicle," July

fasten

9, 1881, p. 42.

FREAKS OF PLANT

CHAPTER

LIFE.

321

XV.

MIMICRY.

In the animal kingdom certain resemblances between the members of one group and those of another, considerably removed from it in the system of classification,

have of

late years

On

discussion.

been the subject of much

the supposition that these resem-

blances have been acquired, and are designed to serve

some purpose in the economy of nature, the term "mimicry" has been applied to them. Subsequently has been proposed to substitute another term, that

it

of

"

homoplasy," but

term.

this

has not met with general

we have, therefore, adopted the older Mr. H. W. Bates first introduced the subject

acceptance

;

to notice, with

some very

metic resemblances

" in

striking

examples of

Lepidopterous

insects,

"

mi-

which

have since been much augmented by others. Very few allusions have hitherto been made to such resemblances in

plants, although

Mr. A. Bennett^ has opened the question, and with these organisms the subject

^

is

Mimicry

(1872), p.

still

in

a very elementary stage.

in Plants in "

It shall

Popular Science Review,"

I.

Y

vol. xi.

FREAKS OF PLANT

322

LIFE.

be our purpose to indicate such examples as have

come

knowledge, but rather as a record of

to our

than with any design to theorise about them.

facts

In animals blances are

it

has been contended that the resem-

acquired by natural selection and the

survival of the

The data

such resemblances being for

fittest,

the benefit of the

organisms which acquire them.

are at present insufficient to apply such a

theory to plants, but the instances are sometimes so

and curious that they could not be ignored

striking

phenomena in plant life. known plants none are more weird and

as remarkable

Of

all

singular than the Cacti, with their angular succulent

stems,

In

armed with

many

beautiful.

and

spines,

and the absence of

leaves.

instances the flowers are large, showy, and

These plants are numerous

drier parts of

"

America.

in the hotter

Sometimes

sometimes articulated, sometimes

gonal columns, not unlike organ-pipes." then attaining a very gigantic

globular,

rising in tall poly-

size,

Now

small that " they get between the toes of dogs." the similarly dry and plants

are

absent, but

arid their

tracts

place

is

represented

amongst rocks

one of these at the

In

of Africa these is

occupied by

species of Euphorbia, which resemble in form

habit the Cacti of America.

and

occasionally so

In our woodcut

(fig.

and 66)

Euphorbias, growing

Cape of Good Hope, which is our common wood spurge

entirely dissimilar from

MIMICRY. and the other Euphorbias whilst

it is

I'lg. 66.

of

323

temperate

regions,

scarcely to be distinguished from a cactus,

— Euphorbia,

resembling a cactus growing amo'ngst

rocks in

Damara Land.

except that they have usually small

Y

2

and

incon-

FREAKS OF PLANT

324

spicuous flowers.

The two

LIFE.

of plants

families

widely separated from each other, almost as possible for plants to be,

are

far as

and yet the resemblance

so great that in the absence of flowers

it is

is

difficult to

Not

believe that they do not belong to one family.

only do they resemble each other, but they are also "

imitated

daceai, of

"

by plants of another

family, the Asclepia-

which the species of Stapdia might equally

be attributed to Cacti or Euphorbia.

may

be seen

house"

at

growing

together

These plants

in the " succulent

Kew.

Before leaving these succulent plants instance certain of the

genus Hazvorihia,^ close to the

ground

in

lily

we may

also

family, small aloes of the

which the fleshy leaves grow

in the

form of a

In this

rosette.

instance the resemblance approaches to that of the

house-leek family {Crassnlaccce), further removed than

even Euphorbia and Cadets, for one belongs to Monocotyledonous and the other to Dicot}'ledonous plants. If

from these general features we turn to indi-

vidual plants,

we

greatly increased.

shall find the

number

Any one who has

experience will appreciate the

of examples

had an extended

difficulties

which con-

stantly arise in determining even the " order " of an

^

Two

pairs of these plants

worthia plaiiifolia atrovirens with

may

be compared



viz.,

Ha-

with Echeveria aloidcs, and Haworthiot

Sempervivum

arenariiun.

MIMICRY. unknown Turn,

325

plant in the absence of flowers

species of PhyllantJnis, with

flat-

tened phyllodes,

as

PJiyllantJuis

structure

in

a

similar

fruit.

and

again to the

for instance,

compare one of the

or

EiipJiorbiacece,

of

species

Here,

family- iPoIygonacccv).

with

falcata} the

a

Buckwheat

an unusual form, a

in

striking mimetic resemblance will be encountered.

Or,

if

we have only

flowers or repcns,

fruit,

young

condition, without

one of the Onagracea;, we shall at once be

struck with

of an

the

of such a floating plant ^s Jussicsa

its

resemblance to a similar condition

Euphorbiaceous plant {PJiyllantJms

and, at the

same

time, with

fliiitans),

such a cryptogam as

In our figures of these three

Salvinia rohindifolia.

plants the resemblance

is

plants themselves

6^).

(fig.

less

striking than in the

All of them

the water, under similar conditions,

float

on

in different parts

the world.

•of

Dr. in

{S.

Berthold

Seemann speaks

of having seen,

Sandwich Islands, a variety of Solanum Nelsoni) which looked for all the world like a

the

well-known Buettneraceous plant of

New

Holland

{Tlwinasia solanacea), "the resemblance between the

two widely-separated plants being quite as that pointed out

^ •*

in

as striking

Bates's " Naturalist

" Botanical Register," pi. 373. Miihle7ibeckiaplatycladiuin, " Botanical i\Iagazine,"

on the

pi.

5,382.

FREAKS OF PLANT

326

LIFE.

Amazons," between a certain moth and a humming bird.

The circumstance has

also

been alluded to many-

times that one of our highest botanical authorities of his

day figured a

species of

Fig. 67.- -Young plants of {c)

flowers or

us

fruit,

how many

(

Hooker's "

Balfour's " Class

Book

On

7'

Fahr.,

another

the flower had risen

extraordinary increase of

If this determination

-'

3'.

from

i° The Hamburg

the temperature of the house was 70°

and the flowers found to

the tuberose

the flowers of a gourd

flowers of Victoria regia were

when

air.

is

Miscellany,"

an accurate one iii.,

of Botany," p. 519.

p. 186.

TEMPERA TURE. it

38 r

becomes almost inexplicable, and should

some

receive

at least

when compared

corroboration, especially

with the results of an examination of the flowers of NyuipJicca stcllata, another water-lily, in

which the

maximum

Fahr.

elevation

was

little

over



the flowering heads of composite plants

Of we have

accounts of but two, the capitulum of the cottonthistle {Onopordiini acanthiuui), in

Fahr.

is

recorded, and in a

One

temperature

rose to

result of the great stimulus

has recently received,

electrical science

i^ 5'

number of flower-buds

of AntJiciiiis chrysolcnca, the 2° 4' Fahr.

which about

which

may be

it

hoped, will be an extensive series of observations, with delicate appliances, to determine the variations

number

of temperature at different periods in a large

of plants.

Chemical change takes place so rapidly fleshy fungi that

we should have been

in the

quite prepared

to find that under certain conditions an appreciable

elevation of temperature has been ascertained.

seems

temperature

has

been

observed,

changes have been recorded. Lycoperdon,

warmer

to

when the

decomposition. cluster

It

to us surprising rather that so small a rise in

of

than

that

such

The

larger species of

quite mature, will

become sensibly

hand when they exhibit

The

Agaricus

finger thrust inelleiis

will

evidence of increase of temperature.

signs

of

into a decaying

obtain

decided

In these cases

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE.

382

it

will

be the necessary accompaniment of decompo-

sition.

Dutrochet examined growing fungi of

and found

elevation of temperature,

in all a slight

none so much as one degree, and

but

in

one

fifth

five species,

in

some not

Probably the most favourable

of a degree.

period was not selected, at least the subject requires

McNab

Dr.

further investigation his observations

instance the rise was not so

been expected, although

in

determined by Dutrochet.

posed

that

so

has also recorded

on Lycoperdon gigantaiin, but

large

a

much

as

in this

would have

excess of the amount It

can hardly be sup-

mass,

undergoing

rapid

chemical change, does not exceed about one degree per cent, in

rise of

temperature.

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE

CHAPTER

383

XVIII.

LUAIINOSITV.

The phenomena

of

"

luminosity

in

"

plants

are

evidently variable in their causes, as predicated

We

the variability of the results.

examples

together

of

from

manifestations

these

by

have brought

flowering and cryptogamic plants, associated some-

what

in

accordance with their apparent relationship,

but without any effort at explanation. strong presumption that

There

some of the supposed

of flashes of light from bright coloured flowers,

be explained for

group

themselves

The

thus

:

different facts

— Flowers

on sultry evenings

electrical flashes of light

which readily takes under

which,

and

fungi

certain

which

imperfect, or

"

are

fire

;

roots,

conditions either

mycelium

"

or

are

luminous

condition, or

seem

exhibiting

becoming surrounded by the vapour of oil,

may

Others can be accounted

optically.

by no such hypothesis.

to

is

cases,

;

plants

essential

rhizomes,

luminous

;

in

their

when

fully

matured.

The

luminosity of flowers, under certain conditions,

FREAKS OF PLANT

384

many

has

times been affirmed, by different and inde-

pendent observers, and yet

still

earliest instance

who

that of the daughter of Linnaeus,

a " lightning-like of

remains the subject

The

of some doubt and uncertainty. is

LIFE.

the

phosphorescence

nasturtium

during

a

"

observed

the flowers

in

tempestuous

sultry

Another instance was recorded

night.

in

1843,

when Mr. Dowden mentioned a luminous appearance in the double variety of the

common

marigold.

This

circumstance was noticed on the 4th August, 1842, at 8 o'clock p.m., after a

week of very dry weather.

Four persons observed the phenomenon.

By

off the declining day-light, a gold-coloured

lambent

appeared to play from petal to petal of the

light

flowers, so

as to

corona around the tion

shading

grew

•examined

make disc.

a more or less interrupted It

seemed

in

darkness.^

Dr.

contributor says, " I

quently, and have looked for

summer on

;

it

was not

such exhibitions.-

have observed it

it

fre-

on each succeeding

more especially poppy {Papaver pilosum), in my garden

at Mosely, in Worcestershire."^

Many

and another instance was recorded:

'

emana-

this

the double marigold, and

the hairy red

3

if

Edwin Lankester was

strongly in favour of the verity of

Another

as

less vivid as the light declined

years

"We

after,

witnessed

" Proceedings of the British Association for 1843." ^ Ibid. "Gardener's Chronicle," 1843, P- 691.

LUMINOSITY. (June

385

little before 9 o'clock, There are three scarlet

1858) this evening, a

10,

a very curious phenomenon.

verbenas, each about nine inches high, and about

a foot apart, planted

in front of the

greenhouse.

As

was standing a few yards from them and looking at them, my attention was arrested by faint flashes of light passing backwards and forwards from one I

plant to the other.

I

immediately called the gar-

dener and several members of

my

family,

who

all

witnessed the extraordinary sight, which lasted for

about a quarter of an hour, gradually becoming fainter,

a

till

at last

it

ceased altogether.

smoky appearance

after each flash,

particularly remarked.

was very with

There was

which we

The ground under

all

the plants

was sultry and seemed charged The flashes had the exact appear-

dry, the air

electricity.

ance of summer lightning in miniature. the

first

time

I

This was had seen anything of the kind, and

having never heard of such appearances, hardly believe

my

eyes.

I

Afterwards, however,

could

when

the day had been hot and the ground was dry, the

same phenomenon was constantly observed at about sunset, and equally on the scarlet geraniums and verbenas. In 1859 it was again seen. On Sunday evening, July loth of that year, my children came running in to say that the " lightning " was again playing on the flowers. We all saw it, and again, on July nth,

I

thought that the flashes of light were 2 c

FREAKS OF PLANT

386

brighter than

had ever seen them

I

weather was very

The so

The

the reputation of being

also

a similar manner.

It

has been observed,

said, of a sultry evening, after thunder, to

is

it

in

before.

sultry."^

tuberose has

luminous

LIFE.

dart small sparks

in

abundance from such of

flowers as were fading.^ like reputation,

The

sunflower has also a

and so has the martagon

evening primrose.

its

lily

Altogether a number of

and the difl"erent

have been seen to present a similar phe-

plants

nomenon, and the

facts are attested

by a long

list

of different individuals.

Two

to this class of luminosity illusion,

former

propounded with respect

theories have been ;

one that

the other that the light

it is

it

an optical

is

is electric.

For the

contended that bright flowers are always

the subjects, and this exhibition takes place in the evening.

Goethe:

"

On behalf of this view, it is quoted from On the 19th June, 1799, late in the evening,

the twilight was passing into a clear night, as

when

was walking up and down with a friend in the we remarked very plainly about the flowers of the oriental poppy, which were distinguishable above everything else by their brilliant red, someI

garden,

thing like flame.

We

placed ourselves before the

'

" Gardener's Chronicle," July 16, 1859,

'

"Science Gossip," 1871, p.

122.

p.

604.

LUMINOSITY. plant and looked steadfastly at

the flash again,

passing to look at

be an optical

illusion,

was merely the

at pleasure.

view

it is

A second

On

luminous appearances are of the the

When

daughter

of'

the daughter of

evening approached the flowers of little

flame was kindled

any way injuring them.

The experiment

Dictaviniis albus with a light, a in

of

also

Linnaeus with the dittany.

without

has been dry and

air

electricity.

class of

one

behalf of the elec-

urged that the occurrences have been

type of an experience Linnaeus

flash of

spectral representation of the

observed at times when the

charged with

appeared to

It

and that the apparent

blossoms of a blue-green." trical

passing and re-

in

and we could then

obliquely,

phenomenon

repeat the

light

it

but could not see

it,

we chanced

till

387

was afterwards frequently repeated, but it never succeeded and whilst some scientific men regarded the ;

whole as a faulty observation, or simply a delusion, others endeavoured to explain theses.

One

of

them

it

on various hypo-

especially which

tried

to

account for the phenomenon by assuming that the plant developed hydrogen found present,

when

this hypothesis

much

favour.

At

has become untenable,

the inflammability of the plant

is

mentioned more as

a curiosum, and accounted for by the presence of etheric oil in the flowers. visiting a

garden

in

Being

in

the habit of

which strong healthy plants of 2 C 2

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE. Dictamnus albus were

cultivated,

often repeated

I

the experiment, but always without success, and I

already began to doubt the correctness of the observation

made by

daughter of Linnaeus, when,

the

during the dry and hot summer of 1857 I repeated the experiment once more, fancying that the warm weather might possibly have exercised a more than I held a lighted ordinary effect upon the plant. match close to an open flower, but again without result

;

in bringing,

however, the match close to some

approached a nearly faded one, and

other blossoms,

it

suddenly was

seen

a reddish,

shooting flame, which

and did not

left

crackling,

strongly

a powerful aromatic smell,

Since then

injure the peduncle.

I

have

repeated the experiment during several seasons, and

even during wet cold summers

;

ceeded, thus clearly proving that

by the

state of the weather.

it

has always suc-

it

is

not influenced

In doing so

I

observed

the following results, which fully explain the pheno-

menon.

On

the pedicels and peduncles are a

number

of minute reddish brown glands, secreting etheric

These glands

are

flowers begin to

but

little

open, and

oil.

developed when the they are fully grown

shortly after the blossoms begin to fade, shrivelling

up when the

fruit

For

begins to form.

the experiment can succeed only at period

when

the flowers are fading.

uninjured, being too green to take

this

that

The

fire,

reason limited

radius

is

and because

LUMIXOSITY.

389

the flame runs along almost as quick as lightning,

becoming extinguished

and diffusing a

at the top,

powerful incense-like smell. Possibly some of the "burning bushes" of oriental

Vague

story might have a similar explanation.

ideas

of the existence of luminous plants in India and the

neighbouring countries

still float

of the old Hindoos and Greeks. •in

about as

One

Afghanistan, to the north of Nahvo,

tain called Sufed

Koh,

in

the days

in

of these

that

is

a moun-

is

which the natives believe

gold and silver to exist, and in which, they say, in the spring

a bush which at night, from a distance,

is

appears on

fire,

but on approaching

it

the delusion

In 1S45 the natives of Simla were

vanishes.

filled

with a rumour that the mountains near Syree were illuminated nightly by

some magical

been

this

suggested

that

It

has

might be a species of

abounds

Dictammis, which

herb.

near

Gungotree

and

Jumnotree.

A •of

third class of

examples of luminosity consists

those mythic and uncertain legends of roots which

can only be recorded and not explained, possibly

many says

"

cases

There

due only to decomposition. is

is

like to that of flame,

'

Dr.

Josephus

a certain place called Baaras, which

produces a root of the same colour

in

Hahn

in

name with

itself; its

and towards evening

"Journal of Botany," 1863.

it

FREAKS OF PLANT

390

LIFE.

sends out a certain ray like lightning

taken by such as would do

The only virtue

hands." ^

it,

not easily

it is

;

but recedes from their

this root possesses is its sup-

posed power in the expulsion of demons.

The

Ooraghum

the

said to possess the peculiar property of re-

is

gaining

its

phosphorescent appearance when a dried

fragment of in the

a plant from

root-stock of

jungles

it

was submitted

dark with

all

to moisture, "

gleaming

the vividness of the glow-worm,

or the electric scolopendra, after having been moist-

ened with a wet cloth applied to

its

surface for an

hour or two, and did not seem to lose the property by use,

becoming

lustreless

when

again whenever moistened."

dry,

and lighting up

-

known

This, or a similar plant has long been

to the

Brahmins under the name of Jyotismati, and said

to

be produced by a species of Cardiospernmin. Sanscrit authorities say that

it

found

is

Himalayas

in the

and Major Madden found upon enquiry

;

Almora that there was a luminous plant well known there as Jyotismati or Jwalla-mat, which names imply the possession of light or fire. The Almora plant at

proved to be the roots of the fragrant khus-khus grass, of

which only one

luminous at night

Wars

in

in a

hundred

is

the rainy season.

of the Jews,"

book

said to be

The

*

*'

3

"Proc. Royal Asiatic Society," April, 1845.

vii.,

cap.

vi.

roots

LUMINOSITY. of Other grasses

391

reputed to possess the same

are

properties.

we except

If

the milky juice or sap of two or three

Euphorbia phosphorea, said to be

species, such as

Uiminous, this catalogue will exhaust the principal

recorded cases of luminosity in flowering plants

our

;

which consists of luminous fungi, furnishes numerous well authenticated instances, which might last class,

be placed

in

two

classes, of

which one would include

mycelium, or the root-like filaments of fungi

in

an

imperfect state, and the other perfect or complete

Schoolboys nearly half a century ago had a

fungi.

strong belief in " touchwood lingers.

still

"

and perhaps the

belief

This "touchwood," consisted of very

rotten wood, usually from the heart of a tree, deeply

penetrated with the mycelium of fungi, and luminous in the dark.

We

remember many

which was carried

in

a cherished morsel

the pocket, for nocturnal exhi-

bition in the dormitory, until " the light of other days

had

faded," which followed after a few days.

One

of

the most extraordinary manifestations of this class of fungi

is

recorded by the Rev. M.

quantity of

J.

Berkeley.

wood had been purchased

in

"

A

a neigh-

bouring parish, which was dragged up a very steep hill to

its

larch,

or spruce,

feet

destination.

long and

friends

it

a

happened

is

Amongst them was

a log of

not quite certain which,

foot in diameter.

to pass

up the

24

Some young

hill at night,

and

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE.

392

were surprised to

the

find

road

with

scattered

luminous patches, which, when more closely examined, proved to be portions of bark, or

wood.

little

fragments of

Following the track they came to a blaze of

white light which was perfectly surprising

mination

;

on exa-

appeared that the whole of the inside of

it

the bark of the log was covered with a white byssoid

mycelium of a peculiarly strong

smell,

but unfor-

tunately in such a state that the perfect form could

This was luminous, but the

not be ascertained.

was by no means so bright as in those parts of the wood where the spawn had penetrated more deeply, and where it was so intense that the roughest treatment scarcely seemed to check it. If any attempt was made to rub off the luminous matter it only shone the more brightly, and when wrapped up light

in five folds of all

the folds on

paper the light penetrated through either side as brightly

specimen was exposed

;

as

if

the

when, again, the specimens

pocket when opened was a mass of light. The luminosity had now been going on for three days. Unfortunately we did not

were placed

see

it

in the pocket, the

ourselves

till

the

third day,

when

it

had,

possibly from a change in the state of electricity, been

somewhat impaired, but it was still most interesting, and we have merely recorded what we saw ourselves. It was almost possible to read the time on the face of a watch, even in

its

less

luminous condition.

We

LUMINOSITY. do not

for

a

moment suppose

tions

which

Observers as

occurrence of climatic condi-

a

one

certainly

is

we have been

for fifty years,

witness

it

luminous

wood, which

us

rarity.

It

wood

lot to

Professor

specimens of

however,

had,

the

of

parts

though

sent

luminosity before they arrived. the

great

of fungi in their native

before,

once

Babington

of

has never fallen to our

similar case

Churchill

that

is

necessary for the production of the pheno-

is

menon, haunts

mycelium

that the

rather inclined to be-

essentially luminous, but are lieve that a peculiar

393

their

lost

should be observed

which

most

were

luminous were not only deeply penetrated by the

more

the

of

parts

delicate

bable, in

the

matter."

therefore,

case

as

that

well

this

as

the

were

mycelium, but

those which were most decomposed. fact

is

It

an

is

pro-

element

presence of

fungoid

^

Another incomplete fungus growth

is

that called

RJiizonwrpJia stibterninca, which extends underneath

the soil in long strings in the neighbourhood of old •tree

stumps, those of oak especially, which are be-

coming

rotten,

and upon these

These are

branches.

it

is

fixed

by

its

cylindrical, very flexible, branch-

ing and clothed with a hard bark, encrusting and fragile, at

first

*

smooth and brown, becoming

"Gardener's Chronicle," 1872,

p. 1,258.

later

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE.

394

The

very rough and black. whitish, afterwards of a colour,

formed of long

is

phenomena made the subject of

interior tissue, at first

more or

deep brown

less

parallel

filaments.

The

of luminosity in these fungi have been

"

On

investigation

the evening of the day

specimens," he writes,

22° C,

I

received the

the temperature being about

young branches brightened with an

the

all

"

by M. Tulasne.

when

uniform phosphoric light the whole of their length

;

was the same with the surface of some of the older branches, the greater number of which were it

still

some

brilliant in

parts,

and only on

their surface.

and lacerated many of these twigs, but their The next evening, internal substance remained dull. I split

on the contrary,

substance having been exposed

this

to contact with the

same brightness longed

air,

exhibited at

friction of the

brightness and dried

morphae been able

And in

surface the

again

them

to a certain degree, but

:

"

By

any phosphorescent

preserving these Rhizo-

an adequate state of humidity,

for

many

Pro-

luminous surfaces reduced the

did not leave on the fingers matter."!

its

as the bark of the branches.

I

have

evenings to renew the examina-

tion of their phosphorescence

;

the

commencement

of dcssication, long before they really perish, deprives

1

" Tulasne sur la Phosphorescence," " Ann. des Sci. Nat."

(1848), vol.

ix., p.

340, &c.

LUMINOSITY. them of the Humboldt,

is

well

known

luminosity

to miners,

as well as others, have written of

glowing terms.

and it

in

names have been given some of which have occurred

to

Different

different varieties, all

The

faculty of giving light."

of this kind of fungus

almost

395

in

which the lower

parts of the world of

vegetable productions are known.

The second group

of luminous

fungi

those

are

exhibited by perfect and properly-developed species.

These

are,

most

the

for

spores growing habitually on

remarkable

that

fact,

wood

although

genus

referred

and

all

the

to

which the stem

{Pleiirohis) in

obsolete,

One

are

;

many

with coloured spores grow on wood,

luminous species

with white

agarics

part,

is

it

is

a

other kinds

the

known

same subeccentric, or

and the spores white.

known exotic species {Agaricus made known by Mr. Gardner in

of the earliest

Gardncri) was

first

"One dark

1840.

night about

the beginning of

December, while passing along the

of the

streets

Villa de Natividate, Goyaz, Brazil, I observed

some

boys amusing themselves with some luminous object

which

I

fire-fly

;

at

first

but,

supposed to be a kind of large

on making inquiry,

I

found

it

to be

a beautiful phosphorescent species of Agaricus, and

was told that

it

grew abundantly

in the neighbour-

hood on the decaying fronds of a dwarf palm.

The

whole plant gives out at night a bright phosphorescent

FREAKS OF PLANT

396

light,

somewhat

fire-flies,

LIFE.

similar to that emitted

by the

From

having a pale greenish hue.

cumstance, and from growing on a palm,

by the inhabitants

'

Flor de Coco.'

it

larger

this cir-

called

is

"

Dr. Cuthbert Collingwood has given his experience of the same, or a closely-allied species, in Borneo. "

The

night being dark, the fungi could be very dis-

though not

tinctly seen,

at

wnth a soft pale greenish of

much more

any great distance, shining Here and there spots

light.

intense light were visible, and these

proved to be very young and minute specimens.

The older specimens may more

properly be described

as possessing a greenish luminous glow like the glow of the electric discharge, which, however, was quite sufficient

to

define

its

shape, and

examined, the chief details of

The luminosity

ance.

hand, and did

its

when

did not impart itself to the

not appear to be affected

separation from the root on which

not for some hours.

closely

form and appear-

I

mycelium of this fungus

think is

it

it

by the

grew, at least

probable that the

also luminous, for,

upon

turning up the ground in search of small luminous

worms, minute spots of

light

were observed which

could not be referred to any particular object, or

body, when brought to the light and examined, and

were probably due to some minute portions of

'

Hooker's "Journal of Botany," 1840,

ii.,

p. 426.

its

LUMINOSITY. mycelium."!

Mr.

saw the jungle

Hugh Low

all

in a blaze

397

has affirmed that "he of

light,

by which he

could see to read, as some years ago he was riding

by the jungle road, and luminosity was produced by an agaric." across the island

that this

Similar experiences are furnished from Australia, where several species of luminous agarics have been found. Drummond, writing from the Swan River-

speaks of two species growing parasitically on the

stumps of

trees,

with nothing particular

in

their

appearance by day, but by night emitting a most curious light, such as he had never seen described

any book. The first species was about two inches and was growing in clusters on the stump of a Banksia tree. " The stump was at the time surrounded by water, when I happened to be passing on a dark night, and was surprised to see what in

across,

appeared to be a light

in

such a spot.

fungus was laid on a newspaper a phosphorescent

round

it,

and

it

light,

it

When

this

emitted by night

enabling us to read the words

continued to do so for several nights

with gradually decreasing intensity as the plant dried up."

Subsequently he found a second species, six-

teen

inches

in

weighing about

'

^

'•'

diameter, five

and

pounds.

"

a

foot

in

height,

This specimen was

Journal of Linntean Society," vol. x., p. 469. Hooker's " Journal of Botany," April, 1842.

FREAKS OF PLANT

398

LIFE.

hung up

inside the

dry, and,

on passing through the apartment

dark,

observed

I

chimney of our sitting-room to the

in the

giving out a most

fungus

remarkable Hght, similar to that described above

No

light

is

so white as this, at least none that

The luminous property

have ever seen.

though gradually diminishing,

when

it

natives and

fungus when emitting light for

the

continued,

for four or five nights,

fire

;

showed them this room was dark,

the

was very low and the candles extin-

guished, and the poor creatures cried out

name for The agaric

their

is

a

spirit,

of the

and seemed

Chinga,'

'

afraid of

it."

{Agaricus olearius)

olive-tree

found in the south of Europe, and

has been

subjected to an exhaustive examination.!

very yellow,

itself

reflects

and remains endowed with whilst

it

We

ceased on the plant becoming dry.

some of the

called

I

of opinion that

life,

it

and remains

was

is

of

remarkable faculty

this

grows, or at least while

serve an active

It

a strong brilliant light,

it

appears to pre-

fresh.

Tulasne was

really phosphorescent of

itself,

and not indebted to any foreign production for the Hght it emits. It is unnecessary to multiply examples, in

which the phenomena arc uniform

racter.

There

is

in

their cha-

not the slightest ground for sup-

posing that any hallucination, or optical

'

Tulasne, "Annales des Sci. Nat." (1848),

ix., p.

illusion,

340.

LUMINOSITY.

399

can be pleaded here, the manifestations being so decided, so numerous, so well authenticated, and so

One

widely distributed.

of the most recent additions

has been a small species from the several species have

now been

in Manilla,

Dr.

Hooker

Himalayas

;

;

them

;

Gaudichaud found

and Rumphius another

believes

Islands

recorded from different

parts of the Australian colonies

one

Andaman

in

Amboyna.

to exist in the

Sikkim

and we have already mentioned

their

occurrence in Brazil and the Indian Archipelago.

We

might add to these the species of Polyporus,

mentioned by Mr. Worthington Smith, such as Polyporus annosus, found light of

their

which was

in

the Cardiff coal-mines, the

sufficient for the

hands by," and could be detected

men

to " see

at a distance

twenty yards. Polypoms sulfurcus, which the same observer has seen exhibiting the phenomenon.^ Perhaps, also, some others, of which the records arc

of

uncertain, as Corticiinn

cccnileuin,

and the unusual

circumstance of a luminous myxogaster, recorded

by the Rev. M.

J.

Berkeley,

in

the

"

Gardener's

Chronicle."

From

these examples

it

will

be clear that fungi

exhibit luminous properties, both in their imperfect

and perfect conditions.

1

That the

light

is

of that

See also " Fungi, their Nature, Uses," &c., by M. C. Cooke,

p. 105.

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE.

400

character which

peculiar

is

observed

in

combustion of phosphorus, and from blance

it

the slow

this

has been termed phosphorescent.

be that some

hypercritical

resemIt

may

has disputed

quibbler

publicly the applicability of the term "phosphores-

cence

" to

that "

the light emitted by fungi, on the ground no phosphorus has been detected." Perhaps

his student-life

has forgotten

phorescence

simply

"

"

was passed so much abroad that he of his mother tongue. " Phos-

much

no presence of phosphorus, but

imiplies

luminous, or shining with a faint

light,

un-

accompanied by sensible heat," hence no apology is necessary for the use of a perfectly legitimate term with

general and acknowledged interpretation.

its

The phenomena

of light and heat in plants have

not as yet received subject demands.

question

whether

all

As the

the investigation which the to the

latter, it

luminosity

is

it

observed in a few, or whether

an

time.

it

is

inherent

has only been

quality of certain species, since

tion,

becomes a

an

electric condi-

depending largely on the atmosphere at the

The

permit us to

facts

at

present

suggest any theory,

ascertained all

take note of the circumstances, and future for their elucidation.

do not

we can do trust

to

is

to

the

FREAKS OF PLANT

CHAPTER

LIFE.

401

XIX.

MYSTIC PLANTS.

Many

plants were in former times, and especially in

superstitious eras,

and amongst imaginative people,

invested with a mystical importance, and often held in

We

veneration as sacred.

them

as

deserve

doubted

"

mystic," though

denomination

whether

have preferred to class

sometimes they better " sacred."

as

were

flowers

although no one has doubted

ever their

Some

have

worshipped,

having been

regarded as symbols, and introduced as such

Of our own customs

religious ceremonies.

some which may be

No

attributed to a similar origin.

one would dispute that the use of evergreens

church decorations were symbolic of everlasting

That white

in

life.

flowers at weddings were to be held as

That the planting of the yev/

types of purity.

churchyards had a symbolic still

in

there are

intent.

In

fact,

that

in

we

have our mystic plants.

In oriental countries flowers have a deeper meaning,

and a more emphatic language, than with

Imagination

may

the love of flowers these people.

run is

Sir

riot in

us.

Persia and India, but

amongst Birdwood has George given an beautifully exemplified

2

D

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE.

402

when,

illustration

Bombay/ he

" Presently,

flowing- robe of blue, hat,

'

black,

glossy,

would saunter

in,

and on

his

the fleece

mat and

head

Persian, in

his sheepskin

of

kar-kul,*

and stand and meditate over every if

was

at last the vision

flower he

a true

curled,

flower he saw, and always as

when

Garden,

in writing of the Victoria

says,

And

half in vision.

fulfilled,

and the ideal

was seeking found, he would spread

his

until the setting of the sun,

and

sit

before

then pray before

it

and

it,

fold

up

his

mat again and

go home.

And

the next night, and night

night, until

that

particular flower faded away, he

would return

to

guitar or lute there,

sherbet,

his friends in ever-

and sit and sing and play the before it, and they would altogether

increasing troops to

pray

and bring

it,

and

it,

after prayer still sit before

it,

sipping

and talking the most hilarious and shocking and so again and

scandal, late into the moonlight

;

again every evening until the flower died. times, by way of a grand

would suddenly it

after

rise

finale,

the whole

Somecompany

before the flower, and serenade

together, with an ode from Hafiz, and depart."

In the Hindu religion bright-coloured or fragrant flowers take a prominent place as offerings to the

gods, whilst the leaves or flowers of other plants are

held sacred for special reasons, either historical, or

Sir

G. C.

M.

Birdwood,

in "

Athenteum

."'

MYSTIC PLANTS.

resemblances to mystical objects.

for their fancied

The

403

Trimurti, or representative of the Trinity, has

two plants dedicated to marmelos)

and

Both these

trees

may

shamrock,

The India,

the

it,

crataeva

have

the

bael

trifoliate leaves,

and a kind of

basil

aromatic

plant,

and worshipped

story, this hero

and, like the

is

is

said to

popular

all

over

{Ocymu7n sanctum)

sacred to him as well as to Vishnu.

attention,

religiosd)}

be held to represent the Trinity.

national legend of Krishna

white-flowered

{.^gle

tree

{CratcBva

daily.^

This

is

receiving

is

also a

special

According to the

have gambolled with the

milkmaids of Brindabun under the kadamba tree {Nauclea

cadamba),

and

the

yellow

ball-shaped

flowers are held to be particularly sacred to him. is

held to be the holiest flower in India, and

is

It

exten-

sively imitated in the native jewellery ornaments.

The same hero

reported to have fascinated the

is

milkmaids by playing on bakula tree {Mirimsops fragrant flowers are to Siva.

The

his celebrated flute

elengi),

now

parejati

under a

and the small yellow

dedicated to him as well as

{Erythrina indicd)

may

regarded as a mystical, though not a sacred,

1

Sir -

be

tree.

See also on this subject, " The Industrial Arts of India," by M. Birdwood, C.S.I. (1880), p. 85, &c.

G.

C

The Malays strew

this plant with reverence

of their dead

2

D

2

over the graves

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE.

404

This flower was supposed to bloom Indra, in Heaven,

garden of

in the

and the two wives of Krishna are

said to have quarrelled for the exclusive possession

of this flower, which their husband had stolen from the celestial garden. it

Since

it

was stolen by Krishna

has been under a curse, and dwells upon the earth

as one of the least of the flowers,

This accounts for

for worship.

and

its

never used

is

absence from the

long catalogue of sacred flowers. In the love, the

his

Hindu mythology, Kamadeva analogue of Cupid, and

bow and

The myth

arrows.

arrows were tipped with

the god of

alleges that these

five flowers, all

of which are

They

therefore held sacred to this god.

champa

is

represented with

is

are (i) the

{MicJiclia cJiajnpacd), a tulip-shaped yellow

magnolia

flower, with a strong aromatic smell, of the

family, supposed

by some

into India from China

fcra Indicd)

:

(3)

:

(2)

to

the

have been introduced

mango

flower {Maugi-

the bulla {Pavonia odorata), a sweet-

scented flower of the mallow family

:

(4)

of the clearing-nut {Stiyc/nws potatonivi) the

nagkesur

{Alcsna ferrcd), with

the flower :

and

flowers

(5)

white

and yellow filaments inside the corolla, having an odour resembling that of the wild briar. externally,

Some flower,

other authorities

exclude

the

clearing -nut

and substitute that of the bela {Jasniimim

savibac), with beautifully fragrant white flowers.

screw pine {Pandaiius odoralissiintis)

is

also, for

The some

MYSTIC PLANTS. reason, sacred flowers

pollen

most profuse, and has a

is

odour.

The

Kamadeva.

to

405

It

collected,

is

and sold

of the peculiar

faint

the bazaars,

at

being scattered over the bride at marriage cereThis custom seems partly to prevail on

monies.

account of the odour, and partly on account of mystic relationship to the god of love.

Keora

flowers

its

Attar of

and Keora water are favourite Indian

perfumes.

The

brilliant

to

Siva,

asoca

whom

to

flower.3 are offered,

{ChrysantJieviuvi

alluded

to,

{Saraca

of orange-red

large clusters

also

other and

such as the

Indiciini),

the

with

Indica),

floAvers,

"

is

its

dedicated

mostly yellow

chandra malika

cadamba,

"

already

and the bakula, as well as the superb

crimson flowers of the bandhuca {Ixora bajid/mca),

and the fragrant jasmines {Jasmimim sambac and JasviiniLui luidulatuin), the

gunda {Gardenia fioridd)^

oleander {Nerinin odonini), and some others.

be readily imagined that flowers, remarkable

It

can

for their

beauty, bright colouring, or fragrance, would present

themselves to the minds of an oriental people as fitting

gods.

tributes

Such

as

to be laid

on the shrines of

are usually connected in

some manner with the

tory of the mythical being to

whom

some mystical resemblance

his-

they are sacred,

or are supposed to retain in their flowers, leaves,

their

do not conform to these features

to

fruits,

or

well-known

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE.

4o6

symbols of the attributes of the god to

whom

they

are dedicated.

To

we

avoid tedium

shall

omit reference to

all

the

remaining flowers, which are dedicated to members

Hindu pantheon, with the exception

of the

water

lilies,

and these both

ancient

in

of the

India and

Egypt occupied a prominent place in mythology. The plants themselves were, in all probability, common to both countries nearly at the same time, and if we have come to the conclusion that the preeminence was given to one kind in India and to ancient

another in Egypt, this resulted probably from local

The

circumstances and local traditions.

between

relationship

the two

has

intimate

necessitated

a

commencing with the The lotos Egyptian lotos to avoid repetition. {NymplicBo), writes Sir G. Wilkinson, was the favourite

on

But

it

is

singular that,

so often represented, no instance

is

monuments of

Indian

lotos,

Nelumbium, though the Roman Egyptian

sculp-

occurs

the

tures point

placing stated

is

both,

wreaths and chaplets.

for

while the lotos

or

of

history

parallel

it

it

'

out as a peculiar plant of Egypt,

about the figure of the god Nile

by Latin

the country.^

vol.

the

writers to have been

The

distinction

p. 56.

and

common

it

in

between these two

Wilkinson's " Popular Account of Ancient i.,

;

Egyptians,"

MYSTIC PLANTS.

407

sacred plants will be better understood by a brief

general description of both, so liable to confusion by

name

applying the

The

of lotos in each instance.

sacred lotos of the Nile figures conspicuously

on the monuments, enters largely into the decoration,

and seems to have been interwoven with the This lotos

religious faith of the ancient Egyptians. is

mentioned by the old writers as an herbaceous

plant of aquatic habits, and from their combined description

intended.

it is

"

evident that

When

are inundated, there lilies

grow

which the Egyptians

so-called, is

grows chiefly

The

inundated.

very double flower. the seed-vessel,

flower

flowers open,

call lotos."

is

It is

lily is

^

when

"

The

lotos

the country

white, the petals are

and numerous, as of a the sun sets they cover

as soon

as the sun rises the

and appear above the water

repeated until the seed vessel

fall off.

of water

and the plains

water numbers of

in the

lily,

When

and

full,

is

in the plains

narrow, as those of the

is

some kind

the river

ripe

is

;

and

this

and the petals

said that in the Euphrates both the

seed-vessel and the petals sink

from the evening

down

into the water

until midnight, to a great depth, so

hand cannot reach them at daybreak they emerge, and as the day comes on they rise above the water; at sunrise the flowers open, and when fully. that the

;

1

Herodotus.

FREAKS OF PLANT

4oS

expanded they

rise

up

still

LIFE.

higher,

and present the

appearance of a very double flower."^ "The flower is small and white like the lily, which is said to

expand

at sunrise,

and to close

said that the seed-vessel

and that

water,

at sunrise

is it

It is also

at sunset.

then entirely hid in the

emerges again." =

the inundating waters of the Nile

retire, it

"When

comes up

with the stem like the Egyptian bean, with the petals crowded thick and close, only shorter and narrower.

There

is

a further circumstance related concerning-

plant of a very remarkable nature, that the

this

poppy-like flowers close up with the setting sun, the petals entirely covering the seed vessel

;

but at sun-

they open again, and so on, till they become ripe, and the blossom, which is white, falls off."^ "They grow in the lakes in the neighbourhood of Alex-

•rise

andria.

I

know

that in that fine city they have a

crown called Antinoean, made of the plant which is there named lotos, which plant grows in the lakes

summer; and there are two colours one of them is the colour of a rose, of which heat of

in the

of

it

:

the Antinoean crown

and has a blue

lotinos,

we

is

made, the other

flower."*

From

is

called

the foregoing

arrive at the following particulars of the lotos.

That

it

is

an aquatic plant, with double poppy-like

>

Theophrastus.

^

Dioscorides.

'

Pliny.

*

Athenseus.

MYSTIC PLANTS. flowers,

expanding

the

in

409

morning and closing

at

night Those

virgin

lilies all

the night

Bathing their beauties

That they may

When

Fig. 84.

rise

more

in the lake,

fresh

their beloved sun's

and bright

awake.

— Egyptian Lotus {NymphcBa

stellatd).

Either white, blue, or rose-coloured, for there are the latter

two

author.

varieties, as

expressly mentioned by one

All these features are quite consistent with

the presumption that the lotos was of a kindred to

FREAKS OF PLANT

4IO

own white water lily, which

our

by what

is

seed-vessel

and

it is

recorded of the is

is

LIFE.

further strengthened

fruit.

"

The

size of the

equal to that of the largest poppy head,

divided by separations in the same

manner

as the seed-vessel of the poppy, but the seed, like

is

more condensed.

millet, is

which

The Egyptians and when

lay these seed-vessels in heaps to perish,

washed in the river, and the seed taken out and dried, and is afterwards made In the prininto loaves, baked, and used for food,"^ they are rotten, the mass

is

The

cipal features, all the other authorities agree. fruit,

therefore, corresponds with that of a water

and, moreover,

it is

which was eaten. From these descriptions

more

as

common

in

the waters of that

Savigny returned from Egypt which corresponds closely

after the

home in

river.

When

French

in-

a blue Nymph(za,

habit to the conven-

common on Egyptian monuments.

tional lotos so

seems very probable that the lotos-flower, which

represented in the hands of guests at

is

evident,

was a species of Nyuiphcca, or water

vasion of 1798, he brought

It

it is

fully discussed elsewhere," that the sacred

lotos of the Nile lily,

lily,

said to possess a farinaceous root,

banquets

(fig.

85),

'

Theophrastus.

2

M.

C.

and those presented

Cooke on the " Lotus of the Ancients,"

Science Review,"

vol. x. (1871), p. 260.

Egyptian

as offerings to

in "

Popular

MYSTIC PLANTS. the deities, were

411

The manner

fragrant.

in

which

they are held strengthens this probabiUty, as there

is

no other reason why they should be brought into such close proximity to the nose. water

lily

Savigny's blue

{Nyniphcsa ccBnilea) has just the habit and

the narrow acute petals of the lotos on the

The white lotos was

ments.

which

is

common

of its kindred,

species,

has

a

called

evidently NynipJia^a

and Egypt.

liable to variation,

it is

red variety, which

have

to India

monulotus,

Like others

and there

is

a

some

distinct

Roxburgh

but

declared

that

he

could see no difference

between them except the colour

The

of the

flowers.

blue lotos of Sa-

vigny, which he called

NympJiaa

C(zrulea,stc:ras

Fig. 85.

— Lady with lotus flower,

from Theban tomb ( Wilkinson).

to be the NympJi(2a stel-

/«toof modern botanists. Messrs.

Hooker and Thomson

have pronounced the opinion that lily

of the

congener N.

Nile and lotus)

"

the blue w^ater

India are (like their white

specifically

the most

the same,

prominent difference to be found between them being the sweet scent of the African plant, and

more numerous

petals

and stamens."

blue lotos seems to be the most

usually

its

The

fragrant

common one

repre-

FREAKS OF PLANT

412

LIFE.

sented on the monuments, but the white one

is chiefly-

alluded to by ancient authors.

The

tamara, or lotos of India, was described by

ancient authors

Egyptian bean. tial

that there

is

under the name of kyamos, or These descriptions are so substannot the slightest doubt of the plant

being the Nelwnhium speciosum}

more

He

Nothing can be

explicit than the account given

says that "

it

produced

is

stagnant waters, the length of longest, four cubits, like the

smooth

the stem

is

byTheophrastus.

in

marshes and

the stem, at

and the thickness of a

jointless reed.

The

finger,

inner texture of

perforated throughout like a honeycomb,

and upon the top of

it is

a poppy-like seed-vessel, in

circumference and appearance like a wasp's nest.

each of the

in

the

cells there is a

bean projecting a

In little

above the surface of the seed-vessel, which usually contains about thirty of these beans or seeds. flower

The

twice the size of a poppy, of the colour of a

is

full-blown rose, and elevated above the water

;

about

each flower are produced large leaves, of the size of a Thessalian hat, having the same kind of stem as the flower- stem.

In each bean, when broken,

may be

seen the embryo plant, out of which the leaf grows.

So much

'

M.

C.

for the fruit.

The

root

is

thicker than the

Cooke on the " Lotos of the Ancients,"

Science Review,"

vol. x., p. 262,

in

"

Popular

MYSTIC PLANTS. thickest reed,

who

live

and

stem

cellular, like the

about the marshes eat

it

413

;

and those

as food, either raw,

These plants are produced spon-

boiled, or roasted.

taneously, but they are cultivated in beds," &c.

This plant has a sacred character amongst the Hindoos, and also

one time

China and Ceylon.

in

plentiful

Egypt, whence

in

It

was

has

it

at

now

upon the

The representations given of it monuments of ancient Egypt are far less

common

than those of the Nyinp/uva, equally with

totally vanished.

which

it is

to be found

on the monuments of India.

serves for the floating shell of Vishnu

of Brahma.

Sir

W.

Jones writes of

It

and the seat it,

that " the

Thibetans embellish their temples and altars with it and a native of Nepal made prostration before it on entering my study, where the fine plant and beautiful

;

flowers lay for examination."

Thunberg

affirms that

the Japanese regard the plant as pleasing

to

the

gods, the images of their idols being often represented sitting

or

on

its

large leaves.

holy mother,

flower of

it

in

is

generally represented

with

a

her hand, and few temples are without

some representation of

the plant.

plants are sculptured on the in India,

In China the Shing-moo,

Undoubtedly two

monuments and

paintings

but they are easily distinguished from each

other by their form.

and the other

is

The one

is

a lotus, or Nyjupkcsa,

the Nelunibium.

The former

is

dedicated to Soma, the latter to Lakshmi, the Indian

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE.

414

Venus, the goddess of beauty, and, as the most sacred flower,

may be

offered to all the gods.

The

sion to be arrived at from close investigation

Egypt was

the sacred lotos of

concluis,

that

the NympJicsa, whilst

was, and still is, the was the symbol of fertility in Egypt as in India, and the god Horus, the personification of the rising sun, was decorated with a wreath of its flowers and buds, and was sometimes figu-

the

sacred

of India

lotos

The

Nelunibiinn.

latter

as a lotus

springing from the

There are few plants

richer in association

ratively represented waters.^

than water

lilies.

Their flowers are yellow

in

the

ponds of Northern Europe, white or yellow in England, blue and fragrant in Persia and Cashmere, and red in Southern India.

The Egyptian

with rose, and that of India

lily

is

is

white, tinted

said to have been

was stained by the blood of Siva, wounded by the Hindoo Cupid Kamadeva. It is the latter that is alluded to in Lalla Rookh: similar,

till

it

As bards have seen him

in their

dreams

Down

the blue Ganges laughing glide

Upon

a rosy Lotos wreath.

From Egypt and India we pass to Greece and Rome, yet it is not our intention to linger here, as but

little

importance can be attached to the flowers

of Greek and

'

Roman

mythology.

"Gardener's Chronicle," July

They never i,

1876, p.

7.

held

MYSTIC PLANTS.

415

the same position as in the former countries, and the

majority of allusions are only such as relate to the

legendary origin of certain

Fig. illustrated

his

imare

86.

plants.

This

may

be

— Daffodil {^Narcissus pscudoiiarcissus).

by the

beautiful youth Narcissus,

who saw

and

became

reflected

in

a

fountain,

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE.

4i6

enamoured of

it,

but finding that he could not reach

His blood grew desperate, and killed himself. was changed into the flower which still bears his it,

The nymphs

name.

raised a pile to burn his body,

but only found a beautiful flower.^

Daphne caught,

fleeing

from Apollo, and

fearful of

being

implored the assistance of the gods,

changed her into a

Apollo crowned

laurel.

his

who head

with the leaves, and for ever ordered that the tree

should be sacred to his divinity.

At

a festival in

honour of Apollo, which was held every ninth year, boughs were carried

laurel

in procession.

Adonis, the favourite of Venus, was fond of hunting

and

in

an encounter

\\\\h.

a wild boar was so

The legend

that he died.

Venus was so

states

great, that, as she

wounded

that the grief of

wept over

his

dead

body, the blood was transformed into roses, and the tears *

*'

of the

goddess herself into the anemone

or

wind-flower." Alas the Paphian fair Adonis slain, Tears plenteous as his blood she pours amain. But gentle flowers are born, and bloom around !

From every drop that pours upon the ground Where streams his blood, there blushing springs ;

the rose,

And, wheie a tear has dropped, a wind-flower blows.^

In the sacred

rites

of Ceres, the Athenian matrons

*

Ovid " Metamorphoses,"

2

Bion, Idyl

I.,

62.

iii.,

v.

346.

MYSTIC PLANTS.

417

strewed their couches with the leaves of the chaste

agmis

tree {Vitex

purpose of banishing

castus) for the

impure thoughts, and hence the derived

its

name.

It

is

tree

is

said to have

added that the ancient

physicians regarded the plant as an agent in securing chastity.

The gods

dedication of the fruits of the earth to the

in the

and even of

we may hands.

numerous

festivals,

flowers, offer so

leave

There

their

of the vine to Bacchus,

few points of interest that

investigation

to

more loving

nevertheless, an illustration of an

is,

old mythic story, which, whilst

it

demolishes

the

all

how

poetry of the Promethean legend, exemplifies

a very simple circumstance could be transformed by the imagination into a romance.

The Ferula

of the ancients was the Fe^'ula covi-

munis of Crete, an umbelliferous plant, which may be compared with our wood angelica, or hog-weed Tournefort writes

:

"

The hollow

of the stem

pied by pith, which, being well dried, takes

is

occulike

fire

a match, without injuring the outer portion, and

is

much used for carrying fire from place to Our sailors laid in a store of it. This custom

therefore place. is

may

of the highest antiquity, and

sage in

Prometheus brought

explain a pas-

Hesiod, where, speaking of the

it

stole

from

heaven,

in a Ferula, the fact

Prometheus invented the 2

he

says

that

he

being probably that

steel that strikes fire

E

that

fire

from

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE.

4i8

flint,

and used the pith of the Ferula

men how

teaching

Alluding to

to preserve

passage, Sir

this

fire in

for a

match,

these stalks."

Wm. Hooker

says

Prometheus invented the tinder-box." Unpoetical as such an explanation is, it undoubtedly comes very near the truth, and reduces a very •'

that

is,

romantic story to the poor level of an ordinary

mechanical invention.

The

transition from Greece

and

Rome

to the early

monkish legends associated with the Christian faith is not a very abrupt one, and if in some cases they may seem trivial, they will serve to show how minds but partially relieved from paganism exhibited a ten-

dency

to revert to the old mythical stories,

and invest

plain facts or simple precepts with the accessories of

a pagan age. privilege of,

Teaching by fable or parable

is

a

which orientals have ever taken advantage

and against

it

no

just complaint can

be made,

provided that the fables are taught as fables, and not

This

as absolute fact.

may be

illustrated

of the Cedar of Lebanon, which "

When

Seth, the son of

dying parent to fetch the

'oil

is

by a legend

thus recorded

Adam, was

sent

by

:

his

of mercy' from Paradise,

he saw from the gate of that glorious garden, which an angel opened for him without permitting him to enter, a

Cedar of Lebanon, with branches borne high The tree seemed to typify the

towards Heaven. great disaster of

Adam's

early career.

It

stood there

MYSTIC PLANTS. stricken

legend

and

is

419

and yet suggesting hope

leafless,

of Christian origin

ing raiment was seated on

— since a child top, the

its



for the

in glitter-

symbol of hope

for all future generations."

This ancient Syrian hermit

legend

—shows

—the

dream, perhaps, of a

that the cedar of

Lebanon,

the timber-tree of the temple built on Zion, was held in

high estimation, and exercised the fancy.

story proceeds that Seth

three seeds of that tree which he beheld

upon the spot where

sin

had been

Adam, and

so buried them.

history of the legend

ripened on the

same

is

standing

committed,

He carried

the

mouth of the dead

And

here the natural

at fault, for the three seeds,

tree in Paradise,

trees of different kinds.

still

first

but standing there blasted and dead. seeds home, placed them in the

The

from the angel

received

The

Lebanon, the cypress, and the

truth pine,

produced three is,

the cedar of

which grew from

by the and therefore the

those seeds, were held in equal estimation recluse

who dreamt

this

legend,

same marvellous, though inconsistent origin, was claimed for them all. Their future history is curious. Growing on the grave of Adam, in Hebron, they were afterwards most carefully protected by Abraham, Moses, and David.

After their removal to Jerusalem,

composed beneath them and in due time, when they had grown together and united into one giant tree, they or it for it was now one 2 E 2 the Psalms were

;



FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE.

420

tree,

a cedar of

Lebanon

— was felled by Solomon for beam

the purpose of being preserved for ever as a

the Temple.

But the design

failed

;

manage

penters found themselves utterly unable to

the mighty beam.

and found

position, it

They it

raised

too long

then proved too short

;

;

it

in

the king's car-

to

its

intended

they sawed

they spliced

it,

it,

and

and again

was evidently intended for another^ office, and they laid it aside in the Temple to bide its time. While waiting for its appointed hour, the beam was on one occasion improperly made use of by a woman named Maximella, who took the liberty of sitting on it, and presently

found

it

wrong.

It

perhaps a more sacred

found her garments on

fire.

Instantly she raised a

cry, and, feeling the flames severely, she

aid of Christ, city

invoked the

and was immediately driven from the

and stoned, becoming

in

her death a pro-Christian

martyr.

In the course of an eventful history the predestined

beam became

a bridge over Cedron, and, being thrown

into the Pool of Bethesda,

it

proved the cause of

its-

became the Cross, wasburied in Calvary, exhumed by the Empress Helena, chopped up by a corrupt church, and distributed. Little more can be said for this than that it reads like a wild dream, and, like most dreams, with very little-

healing virtues.

^

Finally,

it

"Gardener's Chronicle," January

13, 1877.

MYSTIC PLANTS.

421

"

moral " at the end of it. Undoubtedly both Jews and Christians look upon the cedar of Lebanon with feelings very much akin to veneration, as the Hindoos look upon their own cedar, the deodar {Cedrus deodard), but veneration is

one thing, and adoration

is

by an admixture

another, neither being improved

of superstition.

The apple has a Avidely extended mystical history. "The myths concerning it," as Mr, Conway has indicated, " meet us in every age and country.

bears

guards

her hand as well as Eve.

in

it

the dragon watches

it,

Solomon

;

it

is

Ulysses longs for

it is

in

it

the gardens it

in

Hades.

In the prose

written that Iduna keeps in a

which the gods, when they

manner

feel old

box apples

age approaching, It is in

that they will be kept in renovated youth

until the general destruction.

Azrael, the

Angel of

Death, accomplished his mission by holding nostril

and, in the folklore,

;

by

of Alcinous

have only to taste to become young again. this

serpent

It is celebrated

the healing fruit of Arabian tales.

Tantalus grasps vainly for

Edda

it.

Aphrodite

The

Snowdrop

is

it

to his

tempted to

her death by an apple, half of which a crone has poisoned, but recovers

her in

The golden

lips.

many

more,

'

life

a Norse story, and

Frau Bertha

"because a

'

when the apple

falls

from

bird seeks the golden apples

when the

tree bears

reveals to her favourite that

mouse gnaws

at the tree's root.

no

it is

Indeed,

FREAKS OF PLANT

422

the kind mother-goddess

LIFE.

sometimes personified as

is

But oftener the apple is the tempter also, and sometimes makes mythology in Northern the nose grow so that the pear alone can bring it an apple-tree.

again to moderate

size."^

Eve with the The concepapple is traditional, tion of a divinely-endowed tree guarded by a serpent makes its appearance in the myths of many ancient

The

association of the temptation of

and not

In Russia the vine

races.2

scriptural.

sometimes represented

is

as the Tree of Knowledge.

In India

it

also a

is

climbing plant, the soma {Saixostenwia viminale),

which

is

identical with the

who

drinks of

its

have

identified

it

homa

of the Persians.

juice never dies.

Some

He

authors

with the " Tree of Life which grew

in Paradise."

The sanctity of the oak has a remote antiquity. From the oracular oak of Dodona to the sacred oaks of the Druids it was held profoundly sacred. " The tree under which Abraham was said to have received his heavenly visitors, the "

oak of mourning

"

under

which Deborah was buried, the oak under which Jacob hid the idols at Shechem the same probably



with that near the sanctuary under which Joshua

1

" Mystic

Nov., 1870, »

Trees and Flowers

"

in

" Fraser's

Magazine,"

p. 590.

See "Tree and Serpent Worship," by

W.

Ferguson, F.R.S,

MYSTIC PLANTS. set

up a stone

— the oak

of

423

Ophra under which the

angel sat that spoke with Gideon, the oak on which

Absolom hung, were buried

had



his sons

preceded the period when Isaiah

to rebuke those

when

and

that under which Saul

all

who carved

Ezekiel proclaimed

idols

from oak, and

wrath of Jehovah

the

against the idols standing under every thick oak."i

The

cypress,

of

which

sacred as an evergreen.

idols

were carved, was

It received respect in Persia,

and amongst the American Indians it is recorded that an aged cypress was held sacred and loaded with offerings.

In Greece the cypresses were the

daughters of Eteocles, hated by the goddesses they rivalled.

The myrtle has

a sanctity that precedes that of

any Christian saint. It was the emblem of Mars, and afterwards became the wreath of Aphrodite, because, after rising from the sea, she was pursued by satyrs and found refuge in a myrtle thicket. It is

still

sacred in the east.

their feast of Tabernacles,

one of the three things that

The Jews gather

it

and the Arabs say

Adam

it

for is

brought with him

out of Paradise.

The

in northern

ash,

of the universe."

was the

In

mythology, was the

Germany

the linden, or lime,

tree of the resurrection.

'

"

" tree

The

Mystic Trees and Flowers,"

fir

p. 592.

and the

424

FREAKS OF PLANT

LIFE.

many

races.

pine were held sacred by

when

Martin

St.

was permitted

was compelled

temples, he

to

In France, destroy the

to

spare the holy

fir

groves.

The

olive has

one of the

become inseparably connected with

earliest records of the

repeated references are beauty.

made

human

and

race,

in the scriptures to its

probably needs an educated eye to ap-

It

preciate the effect of

silver-like leaf,

its

but

must

it

be refreshing to ride through one of these groves

when clothed with with

fat

the olive

one

in

and is

or

flowers,

Of

oily berries.

when bowed down

all

the most prodigal of

fruit-bearing trees its

flowers, but not

The

a hundred comes to maturity.

tree

is

of slow growth, and except under peculiarly favourable circumstances,

seventh year, nor the tree

is

it

is

bears no

berries

crop worth

the

ten or fifteen years old

tremely profitable,

extreme old age.

;

then

the

until

much it

until is

ex-

and continues to yield fruit to There is little labour or care of

any kind required, and, when the ground

revive

long neglected,

if is

it

will

dug or ploughed, and

begin afresh to yield as before.

The

fruit is indis-

pensable for the comfort, and even the existence, of the mass of the

community

in

such places as Pales-

where the berry, pickled, forms the general relish to the dry bread. Early in the autumn the

tine,

berries begin to

fall.

They

are allowed to remain

MYSTIC PLANTS. under the

man

trees for

of the town.

the governor that

some time, guarded by a watchThen a proclamation is made by

all

and pick what has

425

who have

fallen.

trees should

go out

Previous to this not even

the owners are allowed to gather olives in the groves.

The proclamation

is

repeated

cording to the season.

summons, when no

once or twice, ac-

In November comes the

olives are safe unless the

watchmen

looks after them, for the

final

owner

are removed,

and the orchards become alive with men, women, and children. The shaking of the olive, which is always accompanied with much noise and merriment, is

the severest operation of Syrian husbandry, par-

ticularly

in

the mountainous

regions.^

The

olive

mind of Israelite and Christian thoughts of momentous times and events it is equally venerated by them for its history, but

undoubtedly stimulates

in the

;

is

so

even

little

a sacred or a mystic tree that perhaps

passing allusion can scarcely be justified.

this

The same may be

said of flowers

and plants alluded

to in our Lord's teachings, or associated with His

They have an

journeys. stitious

interest,

them have come

As grow

interest,

although

but not a super-

times past some of

to be regarded as mystic flowers.

several species of true in the plains

'

in

lilies

and

allied flowers

around the Mount of Beatitudes,

" Gardener's Chronicle," Sept. 18, 1875.

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE.

426

Avestward of Gennesaret,

we cannot be

flower of deepest interest our

He

bade His hearers

Sir

J.

it

"

sure what to

when

of the

field."

Lord pointed

consider the

lilies

E. Smith, the great botanist, suggested that

was the amaryllis {Stcrnbergia

flowers outshone

"

Solomon

luted),

whose golden

in all his glory ;" others

have preferred to award the honour of having suggested

famous

the

comparison

Byzantium," or scarlet martagon the

Sermon on the Mount

summer, when which arc

scarlet

beautiful and conspicuous even at a distance."

matters but

little

which particular

both were alluded

some

satisfaction to

to,

in

know

flower, or

the injunction that there are

to be found at the spot, either of which all

;

i

It

whether

but

it

is

two flowers

would answer

the purposes of an illustration.

The monks

in the

middle ages were

of carefully tending the belief that it

of de-

believed to have been

is

pyramids of

delivered, with floral

which

lily,

corates the plains of Galilee in early

" lily

the

to

it

was the

true

lily "

in

the habit

of the valley, in the

flower of the

field,"

and

has always been in the folklore of England an

emblem

of purity, and connected in

some way with

holiness, as, for instance, in the legend of St. Leonard,

who fought much blood 1

with a dragon for three days, and lost in the encounter,

and wherev^er the blood

"Gardener's Chronicle," July

i,

1876, p.

7.

MYSTIC PLANTS. of the saint

they

The

fell

lilies

grow wild

still

427

of the valley sprang up, where in the forest of

St Leonard.

of the valley was introduced

lily

early

into

England from Southern Europe, and was largely employed in the decoration of churches in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. When the devotion of the rosary was instituted by St. Dominic, the " Lady Chapels " erected in honour of the Virgin Mary were adorned

The

"

in the

land, but

the

Mahomet let

for

him

in

said, "

He

sell

bread

lilies

of the valley.i

was not the rose of Eng-

common

Narcissus,

East generally, of which

the

that hath two cakes of bread,

one of them

is

"

yellow-flowered

and

Palestine

in

season with

Rose of Sharon

for

some

flowers of Narcissus,

the food of the body, but Narcissus

the food of the soul."

of the goddesses long before the period of

and high esteem.

is

had been the flower-crown

It

The

Scripture " rose "

its is

fame

some-

times the oleander, sometimes the rhododendron.^

There

is

a curious monkish legend extant of the

origin of the rose, although there

dates from classic times.

is

a prior one which

John Mandevillc relates that "a Christian maid of Bethlehem, blamed with wrong and slandered, and about to be martyred, Sir

prayed the Lord to spare roses

^

her, and immediately red grew from the burning brands, and white roses

"Gardener's Chronicle," July

i,

1876, p. 7.

-

Ibid., p. 8.

FREAKS OF PLANT

428

LIFE.

from the wood which was not on fire, and these," says Sir John, " were the first rosaries and roses, both white and red, that ever man saw," and henceforth the rose was the flower of martyrs, as well

an emblem of the Virgin.

as

been claimed

Mahomet

for

has also

It

he created

that

the

rose.

Apropos of monkish Spanish

origin,

legends,

there

current in Central America, of which Mr.

has given the following graphic account. "

One

pretty

one,

of

K. Lord^

J.

He

says

:

of the most singular flowers growing in this

garden

(of the

was an orchid *

is

with a singular flower,

associated

Flor del

Panama Railway Company) called

{Peristeria),

Espiritu

Santo,'

or

the

'

by the natives Flower of the

Holy Ghost.' The blossom, white as Parian marble, somewhat resembles the tulip in form its perfume is not unlike that of the magnolia, but more intense. ;

Neither

its

beauty nor fragrance begat

reverence in which

placed in

its

held, but the

the dove side

bowed

;

in

;

its

it

the high

image of a dove

Gathering the freshly-opened

and pulling apart

flower, sits

it is

centre.

its

for

its

alabaster petals, there

slender pinions droop listlessly

the head

inclining

gently forward, as

humble submission, brings the

by if

delicate

beak, just blushed with carmine, in contact with the

'

J.

K. Lord, Naturalist in Vancouver's Island.

MYSTIC PLANTS.

Meekness and innocence seem emnature and who can

snowy

breast.

bodied

in this singular freak of

marvel that crafty

phenomenon

429

;

ever

priests,

watchful

for

any

convertible into the miraculous, should

have knelt before

this

wondrous

flower,

and trained

the minds of the superstitious natives to accept the title, it

the

'

Flower of the Holy Ghost,' to gaze upon

with awe and reverence, sanctifying even the rotten

wood from which they worship

up to,

;

springs,

it

exquisite perfume

But

?

jointed,

and

;'

"

The

it.

joint spring

the time of flowering

The

the image only

attain a height of

and from each

air

laden with

the flower alone

minds ascend not from

their

God not He who made to nature's

and the

it is

is

is

'

I

its

fear

nature

bowed down

stalks of the plant are

from six to seven

feet,

two lanceolate leaves

;

June and July."

in

snipe orchis " will at once recur to us in this

connection, as reminding us of a flying bird, repre-

sented

in

the

instance, without

centre

of

the flower,

but,

any mystical association

in

this

(see fig. 45

ante).

We may

allude, also, to the flowers

been associated with the dead. amaranth,

polyanthus,

which have

The Greeks used

parsley,

and

myrtle

to

decorate tombs, and roses were prominent amongst

The

funereal flowers.

graves by the

graves are

latter

Chinese.

often

covered

In

also

are

planted on

Upper Germany the

with Diimthus

Carthu-

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE.

430

sianonan, whilst in France the box

winkle {Vitica minor)

and

many

in

is

common

in

In Switzerland and Tuscany the peri-

graveyards.

associated with the dead,

is

parts of Italy

is

called the " flower of

death." "

In Goethe's

and picks "

while,

custom critus,

Faust," Margaret plucks a flower,

one by one, saying mean-

off the petals,

He

loves

me, he loves

gave a crack, them, but

it

"

This

on the thumb and fore-

it

tried

whether

" the telephion

with the other.

If

it

their lovers loved

they were disappointed.

failed,

if it

it

was a sign that

called a telephion,

The

!

says that the Greeks took the petal of a

finger of one hand, slapped

he had

not

a revival of an old one recorded by Theo-

is

who

corn poppy, and laying

was

me

This

and a goatherd laments that his

Amaryllis loved him, but

gave no crack."

association of passion flowers with the passion

of our

monkish

Lord

(as

times.

the

name

Dr. Masters

indicates) is

dates

from

of opinion^ that the

species called Passiflora incarnata "

is

the one in

which the semblance of the parts of the flower to the instrument of our Lord's passion was

first

observed.

The

cross, the scourge, the hammer, the nails, the crown of thorns, even ten of the apostles Judas, who



betrayed, and Peter

>

who

denied, being absent

"Gardener's Chronicle," 1870,

p. 1,214.



all

MYSTIC PLANTS.

431

may

be seen by the imaginative in these flowers. Monardes (1593) was the first to call attention to Soon afterwards the plant was in this peculiarity. There is some cultivation at Bologna and at Rome. confusion

little

before

the exact date, but

to

Thence

1609.

into Belgium,

country

this

as

be said to have been

safely

name

of "

and

because,

as

to

have been grown

Parkinson figures

in 1629.

Maracoc

clematis

sive

He

Virginia climber."

probably was introduced

it

known

is

associates

"

he says,

might better conjoin

kindred

I

the " surpassing delight of

he had very

it

in

under the

virginiana

—the

with clematis,

it

unto what other family or

calls

it

may

it

in cultivation in Italy

it I

know all

He

not."

flowers

;"

but

sympathy with the imaginary

little

description of Monardes, as will be seen from the

following extract fain

make men

are

to

"

Some

superstitious Jesuite

all

the

and therefore

call

markes of our Saviour's it

'

flos

passionis,'

end have caused figures to

printed,

with

all

the

parts

true

as

proportioned out, as

the

sea burnes,

which

by the true figure, taken the plant, compared with the figures perceive

Jesuites,

which

I

and to

be drawne and

thornes, nails, speare, whippe, pillar, &c., in as

would

beleeve that in the flower of this plant

be scene

passion,

that

:

it

and

all

you may well to

the

set forth

have placed here likewise

life

of

by the

for every

one to see; but these bee their advantageous

lies

432

FREAKS OF PLANT

LIFE.

Fig. 87.— Jesuitic Maracoc, after Parkinson.

MYSTIC PLANTS.

433

(which with them arc tolerable, or rather, pious and meretorious) wherewith they used to instruct their

people

but

;

I

dare say

God

never willed his Priests to

instruct his people with lyes, for they

the

Divell

whereof thus

come from

author of them

In

the

regard

could not but speake (the occasion being

I

offered)

against

an erroneous

such

opinion

(which even Dr. Aldine, at Rome, disproved and contraried both the said figures, and the name), and

seek to disprove

am

it,

as doth (I say not almost, but I

afraid altogether) leade

picture

of such

many

things, as

superstitious brains

;

are

to adore the very

but the

for the flower itself

fictions is

of

far differ-

ing from their figure, as both Aldine, in the aforesaid

booke, Florae

'

drawne

may

and Robinus,

at

doe

the flowers and leaves being

set forth

to the

satisfie

life,

all

;

Paris,

in

his

'

Theatrum

and there exhibited, which

men

I

hope

that will not be perpetually

obstinate and contentious."

After criticise

gives " but

this

quotation

Dr.

Masters

proceeds

to

the Jesuitic figure, for he says Parkinson

an excellent figure of Passiflora incarnata, he seems to have overlooked the

Jesuites' figure of the Maracoc,' as

fact that

'

the

copied by him,

all, but some other more nearly resembling Passiflova glandulosa, of which it has the simple leaves and the glandular

does not represent P. incarnata at species,

footstalks.

Certainly the flower in 2 F

this

wonderful

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE.

434

specimen

is

a

make

'

up.'

Supposing the

'

corona

of threads to represent the crown of thorns, and the

stamens the

five

nails,

the Jesuit artist has just

reversed their natural position nails

;

the five stamens

— are at the base of the column, while a terribly

material crown of thorns occupies the proper place

of the stamens at the top of the column.

The

three

stigmas, too, are certainly unusually like spear-heads,

so that there can be no question that Aldinus was quite correct little

when he

stated that with the aid of a

straining of the imagination the

emblems of the

Passion might be as well found in a great other flowers.

must

It

two of the older authors

also be

many

remembered that no

agree, one with the other, as

By

to the precise significance of the several parts.

some the coronet

is

the type of the crown of thorns,

while others see in

ovary

for

is

some

it

the

'

stamens represent with some the the

wounds,

five

different version

;

The

parted vesture.'

the sponge dipped in gall nails,

each author giving

;

the

with others a

slightl}-

and Ferrari compares the 'column

'

to the pillar to which Christ was attached, and not to

the cross, because the gentle nature of the flower did

not admit of gibbet

!

"

its

reproducing the emblem of the

1

' Subsequent critical observations by Mr. A. Forsyth, in "Gardener's Chronicle" (1870), p. 1,409, do not controvert

these remarks.

MYSTIC PLANTS.

435

saw him as he mused one day Beneath a forest bower, With clasp'd hands stand, and upturn'd I

eyes,

Before a Passionflower Exclaiming with a fervent joy, "

have found the Passion flower

I

The

!

passion of our blessed Lord,

With

all his

pangs and pain,

Set forth within a beauteous flower.

In shape and colours plain.

Up,

I

will forth into the

world

And take this flower with me, To preach the death of Christ to As

it

was preached

The gathering is

to

all

me.

of willow catkins on

Palm Sunday

the remains of a custom of the early Church in

remembrance of the palm branches strewed

in

the

way of Christ as he went up to Jerusalem. Sprigs of boxwood are still used in Catholic countries, and the willow collected on Palm Sunday

many who come

gather

it.

Why

is

called

palm by

the willow should have

into use for such a purpose, has been explained

in various

ways.

cient days a

Thus^

"

because willow was

badge of mourning, as

from the several expressions of

nymphs and herdsmen

may

in an-

be collected

Virgil,

where the

are introduced sitting under

a willow mourning their loves."

This

is

hardly

satis-

palm branches were not emblems of mourning, but of triumph. A less elaborate reasoning is that " these seem to have been

factory, because the original

2 F 2

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE.

436

Fig.

-Passion Flower {Passijlora cinciiuiatd). *' Gardener's Chronicle."

MYSTIC PLANTS.

437

selected as substitutes for the real palm, because they

are generally the only things, at this season, which

can be easily procured,

which the power of vege-

in

Box was

tation can be discovered." in this

country

evidently in use

the middle

in

of the sixteenth century and it

is

possible that the use of

box was discontinued on the plea that it was a Romish superstition

bearing clared

;

the

was

de-

palms

of in

although

1536

"not to be

contemned and cast away

;

yet in Stow's Chronicle (1548) it

is

the

stated that "this yeere

ceremony

of

bearing

palmes on Palme Sonday was left off,

fore." "

and not used as be-

The

blessing

continued countries

ceremony

in

of

the

/^v

continent.i ecMtms.

89.





Medicago

" Gardener's

more humble

Another, and

plant, a kind of clover

the Levant,

of

box " is still some of the

the

is

held

{Medicago

in

ecJiiniis),

reverence

as

found

in

a supposed

^ See " Gardener's Chronicle " for a resume of a sermon on one of these occasions, in which the symbolism of the box is insisted upon, April 19, 1873, p. 543.

FREAKS OF PLANT

438

memento

of the

wounds on the its

spiny

Of

LIFE.

with the symbol of the and the crown of thorns in

Passion, leaves,

fruits.

other customs which remain as simple cere-

monies, with

little

meaning,

may

it

safely be predi-

cated that they had in past times a mystic association,

now

forgotten.

The

use of holly, ivy, and mistletoe, as Christmas decorations, are

of this kind, in the latter case

with a date anterior to the of Christianity.

introduction

Whatever may be

its

position

now, the mistletoe was in

for-

mer times a mystic plant and, as Schouw says, "It is not a matter of surprise that

a

of

plant

aspect,

such a

such

peculiar

and which occurs

in

remarkable position

as the mistletoe, should have Fig. 90.

— Mistletoe

{Viscum album).

influence

awakened the

attention

various

and

over their religious ideas.

especially important

part

oak was sacred with them forests

;

races,

among

played an

The

the Gauls.

their priests

;

It

of

exerted

abode

in

oak

oak boughs and oak leaves were used

in

every religious ceremony, and their sacrifices were

made beneath an oak

tree

;

but the mistletoe, when

MYSTIC PLANTS.

439

grew upon the oak, was peculiarly sacred, and

it

garded as a divine

It

gift.

was gathered, with great

ceremony, on the sixth day after the of the year

time placed

first

tree

;

new moon

first

two white oxen, which were then

:

in

re-

for the

yoke, were brought beneath the

the sacrificing priest (Druid), clothed in white

garments, ascended

a golden sickle

it

;

it,

and cut

off the mistletoe with

was caught

in a

white cloth held

beneath, and then distributed amongst the bystanders.

The oxen were effects of the

from

with prayers for the happy

A

beverage was prepared

and used as a remedy

this,

remnant of

this

seems to exist

to favour fertility.

new

in Britain to

mas eve

the

;

men

lead the

'

to the roof

women under

a merry Christmas and a happy

new

its

of

custom

and wish Perhaps

new

year,

leaves giving the bare tree the ap-

pearance of having regained

One

for

on Christ-

it,

year.

the mistletoe was taken as a symbol of the

on account of

;

au gui Fan

It is also a

year's greeting.

hang the mistletoe

France

still in

the peasant boys use the expression, neuf,' as a

and

for all poisons

and which was supposed

diseases,

A

sacrificed,

mistletoe.

the strangest

Mandrake." Some belief

its

of

foliage."

mystic

^

plants

is

the

in its

power was evidently

current amongst the Hebrews.

Josephus gives an

"

account of the custom

'

Schouw,

"

in

Jewish villages of pulling

Earth Plants and Man,"

p. 218.

440

FREAKS OF PLANT

Fig. 91.

LIFE.

— Male Mandrake.

MYSTIC PLANTS. up the root by means of a dog, which shriek. "

To

This

procure

is it,

441

is

by

killed

its-

the salient feature of the superstition,

one must cut away

all rootlets

to the.

up that would cause death to any creature hearing it. So one must stop his ears caremain root

fully,

to pull

;

and, having tied a

The dog

is

dog

to the root, run away.

then called, and pulling up the root,

is

instantly killed."

was believed in France and Germany that the mandrake sprang up where the presence of a criminal had polluted the ground, and was sure to be found near a gallows. Having got the root, it must be It

bathed every Friday, kept

and then written

it

in a

would procure manifold

by a burgess of Leipsic

(in 1675),

white cloth in a box, benefits.

A letter, Riga

to his brother in

has been preserved, and this contains the

popular notion of the time as to the virtues of the mannikin, earth-man, or mandrake.

It

affairs hast suffered great

cows, swine, sheep,

;

;

in

thy

cellar,

home

that thy children,

and horses, have

wine and beer soured destroyed

sorrow

that

recites

the writer had heard of his brother that in " thy

died

all

;

thy

and thy provender

and that thou dwellcst with thy wife

great contention."

He

in

then proceeds to say that he

went to those who understood such things, and they told him that these evils proceeded not from God, but from wicked people, and this was the remedy. *

If thou hast a

mandrake, and bring

it

into

thy

FREAKS OF PLANT

442

LIFE.

So he had thalers, and sent

house, thou shalt have good fortune."

one purchased it

to

him

for

him

for sixty-four

as a present, with these instructions

/v>. 92,

— Female

thou hast the mandrake

in

days without approaching water.

With

"When

Mandrake.

thy house, it

:

;

let it rest

then place

it

in

three

warm

the water afterwards sprinkle the animals

MYSTIC PLANTS.

443

and sills of the house, going over all, and soon it shall go better with thee, and thou shalt come to thy own Bathe it four if thou serve the mandrake right. times every year, and as often wrap it in silk cloths and lay it among thy best things, and thou need do no more. The bath in which it has been bathed is

When

specially good.

thou goest to law, put the

mannikin under thy right arm, and thou shalt succeed, whether right or wrong." ^ Curious old figures of the traditional mandrake are

extant,

its

potency,

of which

we

give copies.

and of marvels

numerous

possession, arc

in

Stories of

associated Britain,

with

France,

its

and

Germany. Or teach me where

wondrous mandrake grows from the earth with groans At midnight hour, can scare the fiends away,

Whose magic

And make

the

that

root, torn

mind

prolific in its fancies."

In a French work (dated 17 18) a peasant

is

said to

have possessed a bryony root of human shape, which he received from a gipsy. conjunction of the

on a Monday,

moon

in a grave,

He

buried

it

at a lucky

with Venus, in spring, and

and sprinkled

it

with milk

which three field-mice had been drowned.

in

'

" Mystic Trees

December, -

and Flowers,"

in

In a

" Fraser's Magazine,"

1870.

Longfellow's " Spanish Student," p. 92.

FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE.

444

became more human-like than ever then it in an oven with vervain, wrapped it afterwards in a dead man's shroud and so long as he kept The it he never failed in luck at games or work. root of the white bryony has, during later times, been

month

it

;

he placed

;

designated the history of is

obscure.

its

mandrake," but the precise time or

"

substitution for the genuine

mandrake

In different parts of Europe fragments

of the old superstition

linger,

still

and

bits of the

root are cherished as charms, love-tokens, as a pre-

ventive

from night-mare, or a protection from bad

men and

evil

attributed to It

it

spirits,

or

would not be

difficult to

with allusions to flowers parts,

even for the old virtues

by the Jews. and

occupy an entire chapter plants, or

which have had a reputation

being associated with the world of

in

some of

their

times past of

spirits, as philtres

or love-charms, as a protection against witchcraft, or

some mysterious virtue. Such was the Saint John's Wort {Hypei'iacm pe}-foratu7n\g^.ihQred on the eve of St. John the Baptist Day, and hung over doors and windows as a charm against storms,

as possessing

thunder, and evil

spirits,

or carried on the person as

a protection against witchcraft and enchantment,

on Midsummer's Eve and many others, curious enough in themselves, but which have become " popular antiquities." A somewhat kindred subject, which has never been the gathering of fern-seed

MYSTIC PLANTS. exhaustively treated, its

the

is

"

445

language of flowers,"

broadest and most philosophical aspect.

more

true

of such

Persia and

countries as

in

It is

India

than of England and France, that every indigenous flower has idea,

become the symbol of some

and hence

it

of those countries of which alphabet.

The Hindoo

in every object

and

terest in flowers

is

attribute or

speaks a language to the natives

in

we have not

learnt the

or the Parsee sees a

every act of his

more sensual

;

life

;

symbol otir in-

we admire

their

colour, their form, their odour, and, if these gratify us,

we

are content.

Perhaps we might with

profit

study

the language of flowers in the East, and find something to learn from the Parsee or the Hindoo. Bring flowers to the shrine where we kneel in prayer, They are nature's ofiering, their place is there They speak of hope to the fainting heart With a voice of promise they come and part They sleep in dust, through the wintry hours They break forth in glory bring flowers, bright flowers ;

;



!

FREAKS OF PLANT

446

CHAPTER

LIFE.

XX.

FLOWERS OF HISTORY,

Some

little

latitude for gossip

corded to us for a concern

we

final chapter,

much with

itself

may

perhaps be ac-

even

if it

scientific fact.

should not

Confessedly,

are proposing to enter the regions of tradition

and romance, with no design of illuminating dark pages of history, or giving a new rendering to old myths. eras,

Tales of the nursery, and similar juvenile

are apt to cling about one, in spite of

more

many a decade. After a long may be permitted to describe an

serious studies, through

journey a traveller

adventure or two, and narrate some of the legends of the country through which he has passed.

not be wholly

trivial to

ascertain, if

what are the plants which

be seen that is

it is

familiar

be imagined.

apt to

come

in

The

enough

in

rose, thistle,

and

name, but

will

it

not quite so easy to determine which

the thistle and what

first

can be done,

emblems or myths

as

are associated with old stories.

shamrock may be

it

It will

is

Little

the shamrock, as might at national predilections are

the way, so that what reason might

be disposed to accept, prejudice

is

fain to dispute.

FLOWERS OF HISTORY.

447

Reasonably and loyally we commence with the which old Gerarde says

rose,

chiefest

"

doth

deserve the

and most principal place among

all

flowers

whatsoever, being not only esteemed for his beautie, vertues,

and

his fragrant

also because

it

is

and odoriferous

smell, but

the honor and ornament of our

English scepter, as by the conjunction appecreth the

in

uniting of those two most royal houses

of

Lancaster and York."

The emblematic rose of England is not involved in much obscurity, and the period of its first assumption "

seems to be contained

The

roses of

devices

as

in the following

England were

first

by the sons of Edward

Gaunt, Duke

record

:

publicly assumed III.

John of

of Lancaster, used the red rose for the

his family, and his brother Edward, who was created Duke of York in 1385, took a white rose for his device, which the followers of them and

badge of

their heirs

afterwards bore for distinction in that

bloody war between the two Houses of York and

The two families being happily united by Henry VH., the male heir of the house of LanLancaster.

caster

marrying

Princess

Elizabeth,

the

eldest

daughter and heiress of Edward IV. of the House of

York, i486, the two roses were united

in

one,

and

became the royal badge of England."^ 1

Hugh

p. 172.

Clark's " Introduction to Heraldry," 13th ed. (1840),

FREAKS OF PLANT

448

LIFE.

Before the adoption of the rose, the broom was the

badge of the House of Plantagenet.

Tradition says

name

the

that

is

derived from this

circumstance, and

plaiita

being

ge?iista

combined.

The

{Gen-

latter

was the bo-

ista)

tanical

the "

name

for

"

be-

broom

fore the present one

{Sarothamnus) was

The

adopted.

name

of

"

Planta-

another

genet,"

account says, was first

by

assumed

Geoffrey,

Anjou,

Earl the

of

hus-

band of Matilda, Empress of Germany, who, having Fig. 93.

— Broom {Sarothamnus scoparius).

placed a sprig of the his

day of

battle,

originated

"

broom

"

in

helmet on the

the surname, which was

bequeathed to his descendants.

FLOWERS OF HISTORY. The hawthorn is associated House of England, and was

On

Tudors.

was

its origin.

at

M'as slain

449

Royal

also with the

the

badge

of

the

the authority of Miss Strickland, this

When the body of Richard III., who Redmore Heath, was plundered of its

armour and ornaments, the crown was hidden by a It was soon found and soldier in a hawthorn bush. carried back to Lord Stanley, who placed it on the head of his son-in-law, saluting him by the title of

Henry VII., whilst the victorious army sang the " Te Deum." In memory of this ev'ent it is said that the House of Tudor assumed as a device a crown in a bush

of

proverb

fruiting

There

hawthorn.

is

an

old

:

Cleave to the crown, though

which appears to allude to

it

hang

in

a bush,

this tradition.

Stow gives an account of King Henry VHI. and Queen Katherine riding a-Maying from Greenwich to the high ground of Shooter's Hill, accompanied by

had any all

many

relation

the old

lords

and

ladies,

to the tradition

but we doubt

May-day customs gathering

had a prominent

place.

Brand,

in

if this

above quoted.

In

the hawthorn

his " Antiquities,"

gives a long account of the customs in vogue on

^

May-

day, and their supposed relationship to the ancient

and

floralia,

^

subsequent

association

Brand, "Antiquities,"

2

vol.

G

i.,

with

pp. 212 to 270.

Robin

FREAKS OF PLANT

450

Hood and called

his

mcny

men.

The

LIFE.

first

of

May was also

Robin Hood's day, and even Bishop Latimer

failed to secure

an audience on that day, for

all

the

parish had gone abroad to gather for Robin Hood, so that he his

"

was

fain to give place to

Robin Hood and

men." have been rambling

\\"c

all this night,

And almost all this day And now returned back again, ;

We The

have brought you a branch of May.

" historical associations of the " forget-me-not

(or Myosotis ayvcnsis) effect.

are narrated to the following

Miss Strickland, writing of Henry of Lan-

caster, says, this royal adventurer, the

banished and

aspiring Lancaster, appears to have been the person

who gave

to the " forget-me-not "

and poetical meaning, by uniting

it,

its

emblematical

at the period

of

his exile, in his collar of SS., with the initial letter of

motor watchword, " souveignc, vous de moy," thus rendering it the symbol of remembrance. Henry is

his

exchanged this token of goodwill and remembrance with his hostess, who was at that time said to have

wife of the

Duke of Bretagne. If this be a true we must bid farewell to the poetical the drowned knight, who being carried

tradition, then

romance of

by

the stream, as he gathered

for his lady,

made

ciated as

name.

its

some of

these flowers

use of the expression since asso-

FLO IVERS OF HISTOR V.

Many

45

other trees and flowers have from time to

time been associated, historically, with events which ha\'e transpired

country

this

in

;

but Boscobel

Oak

and Glastonbury thorn, and such mementoes must be passed over, as our limits arc reached, and we must hasten to the final page.

There has been continued controversy as to the plant with three leaflets which furnished St. Patrick

with his familiar illustration of the doctrine of the Trinit}-.

rock,

with

is

Some have affirmed the plant

call

that this, the Irish sham-

wood-sorrel,^ whilst others,

whom most Irishmen agree,

white clover.Isle

we

is

The

visit

maintain that

it is

the

of the saint to the Emerald

supposed to have taken place about the year

433, whereas the white clover

is

of comparatively

recent introduction into Ireland, so that

it

could not

have been that plant which apparently was so read}-

hand

at

to illustrate the saint's discourse.

son's histor}', written at the

seventeenth century,

it is

In Mori-

commencement

of the

said that " the Irish willingly

eat the herb shamrock, being of a sharp taste, which

they snatch out of the ditches.^

however applicable

it

may be

not equally so to the white clover.

'

'

Oxalis acetosella.

This description,

to the Avood-sorrel,

The

Irish

is

sham-

- Trifolium repcns. Fynis Morison's " History of the Civil Wars in Ireland,

between 1599 and 1603." 2

G 2

FREAKS OF PLANT

452

LIFE.

rock was certainly a plant having leaves composed of three

and as a four-leaved shamrock was

leaflets,

supposed to possess magical

sumed

that

it

virtues,

was not common.

also of the wood-sorrel, but

is

is

be as-

not true of the white

it is

by no means uncommon.

may

This would be true

supplementary

clover, for a leaf possessed of a

two plants

it

In

fact, if

leaflet

one of these

to be regarded as the veritable shamrock,

the evidence

is

very strongly

in

favour of the wood-

notwithstanding the national predilection for

sorrel,

the clover.

The Scotch emblem the thistle, has been the subject much controversy, both as to its origin and the The tradition particular species which is symbolical.

of

has often been cited which carries

origin

its

back to

the time of the Danish invasion. "In a night assault,

a bare-footed

Dane

trod on a thistle, and uttering a

cry from the sudden pain, the sleeping Scotch were

timcously aroused, and succeeded

enemy.

Henceforth the

to

James

thistles are

in

defeating the

was elevated

to

its

Sir Harris Nicholas traces the

present distinction."^

badge

thistle

III., for, in

an inventory of his jewels,

mentioned as part of the ornaments.

^

According to Pinkerton, the first authentic mention of the thistle as the badge of Scotland is in Dunbar's

poem 1

"

entitled "

The

Thrissell

Notes and Queries,"

v., p.

281.

and the Rois," written

-

Ibid.,

i.,

p. 90.

FLOWERS OF HISTORY.

453

on the occasion of the marriage of James IV.

in 1503,

with Margaret Tudor.

Hamilton of Bargowe ex-

states that

pressly

the plant was the

"Monarch's choice,"^

and Sir D. Lindsey in 1537,

mentions

it

emblem of

the

as

James V.

The

botanical

question, " which

the

true

thistle ?"

tigated

is

Scotch

was

inves-

by Dr. G.

and his conclusions are

Johnston,"

now generally What is denominated by

those

accepted.

gardeners

the

"Scotch Thistle an

is

plant,

"3

Fig. 94.

— Cotton Thistle {Onopordum acanthhim).

introduced

and not

advocates, and

a native, and, is

though

^

Notes

-

Johnston's " Botany of the Eastern Borders,"

^

in

it

has had

planted round the grave of Burns

Dunbar's Poems,

Onopordum acanthium.

vol.

ii.,

p.

219. p. 130.

FREAKS OF PLANT

454

Dumfries,

in

it

could scarcely have been the tradi-

tionary thistle of Scotland.

the

LIFE.

A

young

Hebrides pointed out another

eriphoriis) as the

Scotch

At

thistle.

chieftain

plant

in

{Carduus

Inverness Sir

James Grant said that the

Scotch

thistle

was the only one that {Carduus

drooped nutans) Sir

;

and, finally,

William Drum-

mond

maintained

no

that

particular

any

but

thistle,

the poet

thistle

painter

chose,

or

was

the national flower of

Whether

Scotland. it

was a thistle armed

with spines

or not

was contested, and this

induced

Dr.

Johnston to seek a solution Fig- 95-

Musk

Thistle {Carduus

nutans).

of

the

figures impressed

on

money

the

the

of

Now, the first who so marked money was James V., and on the coins of

kings of Scotland. his

by an ex-

amination

"

FLOWERS OF HISTORY. lij.s

reign

thistle

(15 14

only

is

455

1542) the head or flower of a

to

represented.

On

a coin of James VI.,

of 1599, there are three thistles grouped and united at the base, whence two leaves spread lateral I}-, and the stalk of the plant

on one of 1602, there

is

spinous.

On

later coins, as

only a single head, while the

is

and spines are retained, and this figure is the same given on all subsequent coins, the form of the flower itself having suftered no change from its first leaves

"This evidence," savs Johnston, "seems

adoption.

^•^^,.-

Fig. 96.— Scotch coin of 1603.

to

me

greater

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