1898] Resurrection Plants. 65 



diameter. When dn^ it rolls up into a dull grayish ball, but 

 upon the return of moisture expands again into a beautiful 

 green flat rosette, The Hon. Senator Dickey writes as follows 

 of a specimen which was brought to him by a friend from 

 Mexico : 



" The habitat of this strange plant is in the crevices of 

 mountain rocks, to which it clings as a dry nest-like ball of 

 twigs, in the dry season. In the rain}- season the stems uncurl 

 and the plant flourishes as a beautiful rosette of brilliant green. 

 On the return of the dry season, it again curls up to be brought 

 back again to life the next year with the return of the rainy 

 season. The peculiarity of this plant is that you can witness the 

 phenomenon of its opening and shutting as often as you please, 

 when the plant is, so to speak, in confinement. I had the oppor- 

 tunity of testing this repeatedly last summer after my friend had 

 brought it in his trunk from Mexico, and before I sent it on. 

 another 3,000 miles to my son-in-law in London, who has had 

 the same experience. As a dry roll of brittle tangled fibres, it 

 can be sent for thousands of miles rolled up in a piece of brown 

 paper, and a few hours after being placed in a saucer filled with 

 water, will gradually present an appearance of the greatest 

 beauty." 



The following extract is from a letter received by Mr. 

 Dickey from his son-in-law, Mr. H. E. Milner : 



" The name of your Resurrection plant is Selaginella con- 

 voluta, a species which occurs from Mexico right through 

 tropical America. There are several Resurrection plants ; a 

 Japanese one is a Selaginella nearly allied to the species you 

 sent over. The plant usually called Resurrection plant and 

 connected with the Holy Land is a small Crucifer, Atiastatica 

 Hicrochiintiua, but opinion, in which Mr. Nicholson, the Curator 

 of Kew shares, now is that the true thing is a Composite. The 

 plant appears on the arms of some of the old crusader families 

 and certainly the plant there figured is not the Crucifer, but the 

 Composite." 



Another opinion with regard to the Resurrection plant of 

 heraldry, referred to above, is that it is a species of Mysembfy- 

 antJieumm. 



The interesting Selaginella spoken of by Mr. Dickey is 

 apparently not the same species as that usually sold in shops in 



