32 History of Luminescence 



elongated colony of Pyrosoma, if suddenly stimulated to luminesce 

 on a dark night, might readily be mistaken for the fiery tongue of 

 some monster of the deep. 



AELIAN 



Claudius Aelianus, the Roman rhetorician of the second century 

 A. D., and author of De Animalium Natura described luminous stones 

 and two luminous plants,^^ the Aglaophotis terrestris ®* and the 

 Aglaophotis marina. He preferred to write in Greek, and the seven- 

 teen books of De Animalium Natura were translated into Latin 

 and edited by Conrad Gesner in the sixteenth century. No English 

 translation exists. Both the Aglaophotis terrestris and marina must 

 have impressed Gesner greatly, as they were described at length in 

 his book on luminous plants, De Lunariis (1555) . Concerning the 

 legend of Aglaophotis terrestris, also called Cynospastus, Gesner 

 wrote: ^^ 



During the day it is indistinguishable among other plants (from 

 which it does not difEer in the least) and it cannot be recognized; 

 but at night it shines like a star and glitters with a fiery splendor, so 

 that it is easily seen. Therefore, men attach a marker to its roots; 

 for they would recognize it in daytime neither by its color nor by its 

 shape if they did not do this. Then, when the night has passed, they 

 approach the plant and recognize it by the marker, but they take care 

 not to pluck it up, nor even to dig around it. For they say that the 

 first person who, unacquainted with its nature, touches it, dies. They 

 bring, therefore, a young dog, which has not been fed for a day, and 

 they attach a strong rope firmly to the plant and to the dog. Then they 

 draw back as far as possible and throw pieces of roasted meat to the 

 dog. He, aroused by the odor, charges toward the meat and pulls the 

 plant out, roots and all. But, if the sun shines on the roots, the dog 

 soon dies, and he is buried with certain secret rites, as having died in 

 their service. Then, finally, they dare to touch the plant and carry it 



®* Flavius Josephus, in The wars of the Jews, trans, by William Whiston, London, 

 Everyman's Lib., has described an alleged luminous plant, said by Gesner to be the 

 Aglaophotis terrestris of Aelian, with mysterious properties as follows: 



" But still in that valley, which encompasses the city on the north side, there is a 

 certain place called Baaras, which produces a root of the same name with itself; its 

 colour is like that of flame and towards the evenings it sends out a certain ray like 

 lightning; it is not easily taken by such as would do it, but recedes from their hands, 

 nor will yield itself to be taken quietly, until either the urine of a woman or the 

 menstrual blood be poured upon it: nay, even then it is certain death to those that 

 touch it, unless any one take and hang the root itself down from his hand and so 

 carry it away." 



®^ C. Gesner edition of De animalium natura libri XVII, Tiguri, 1556, Book 14, 

 Chap. 27 and 24. Some writers hold that Aglaophotis terrestris, a magic herb of bril- 

 liant color, referred to the peony, Paeonia officinalis. 



^^ De lunariis (1669 edition of Bartholin), translated by R. A. Applegate. See also 

 under Gesner (Chap. Ill) . 



