PHYSIOLOGICAL CAUSE 225 



daily movement, the trunk throughout its entire length 

 was elevated in the morning and depressed towards the 

 evening ; the upper part of the rigid trunk was thus moved 

 through the distance of i metre. The ' neck,' the upper 

 end of the trunk bearing the leaves, was concave to the sky 

 in the morning ; in the afternoon the curvature disappeared 



Fig. 132. The ' Praying' Palm. The afternoon position, 



or was even slightly reversed. The large and long leaves, 

 which pointed high towards the sky at the beginning of the 

 day, were swung round towards the evening through a 

 vertical distance of 5 metres (figs. 131, 132). To the popular 

 imagination the tree appeared, at the time of evening prayer, 

 to bend its neck and press its head of leaves against the 

 ground in an attitude of devotion. 



Physiological Cause of the Movement 



What can be the underlying cause of this remarkable 

 periodic movement ? Is it due to mere physical expansion 

 and contraction by heat or cold, or to some specific reaction 

 of the living tree ? If physical, the movement would still 



Q 



