THE VICTOPaAN NATURALIST. 93 



NOTES ON PHOSPHORESCENCE IN PLANTS 

 AND ANIMALS. 

 By Miss Freda Bage. 

 (Read before the Field Naturalists'' Cluh of Victoria, 12th Sej^t., 1904.) 

 In bringing before you this evening these notes on various forms 

 of phosphorescent plants and animals, I do not claim to record 

 anything new or original, but simply to put together some 

 descriptions of a few forms which have already been well 

 examined, and to point out others which have not yet been 

 described in detail. 



The subject has attracted attention from very ancient times. 

 Aristotle, more than 300 years B.C., mentioned light proceeding 

 from putrefying substances and from glow-worms ; Pliny spoke 

 of luminescence in the mouths of people who ate Pholas, the 

 rock-boring shell-fish, and of such importance is this phenomenon 

 that it is even said to have gained the first king of all Scotland 

 his throne. Century after century naturalists and physicists have 

 recorded cases of phosphorescence and have tried to account for 

 them ; but so great have been the difficulties, that to-day our 

 chief interest in the subject lies in the fact that so many luminous 

 animals remain to be observed, so many inquiries to be made as 

 to the why and wherefore of their phosphorescence. 



In the vegetable world instances of phosphorescence are 

 perhaps not so generally known as those which occur among 

 animals, yet many cases of the radiation of light from plants 

 have been recorded. 



Among flowering plants, sometimes the flowers themselves 

 have been seen giving out light on dark, dry nights (29).* In 

 1762 the daughter of Linnaeus saw light coming from some 

 orange-coloured nasturtiums. Later, Professor Haggern, in 

 Sweden, drew attention to the phosphorescence of some marigolds 

 in July and August — i.e., in summer. He carefully examined the 

 flowers, and, satisfied that no animal organisms were present, 

 attributed the phenomenon to the ejection of the pollen caused 

 by the rupture of the anthers. A case which seems to be well 

 authenticated is recorded by Fries as seen in the Botanic Garden 

 at Upsal, in Sweden, during the summer of 1857. He first 

 noticed three or four flowers among a group of poppies emitting 

 little flashes of light, which showed at intervals for three-quarters 

 of an hour. It was visible for some weeks at night-time, and was 

 seen by 150 people before it finally ceased. Many other flowers 

 have been recorded as phosphorescent — among others, several 

 more varieties of nasturtiums, sunflowers, tuberose, and yellow 

 lily. It may be noticed, though I have never seen any reason 

 given for the fact, that nearly all plants regarded as phos- 

 phorescent have red or yellow flowers. 



* The numbers refer to the bibliography at the end of the paper. 



