CURIOUS LEAVES. 47 



has ceased, and the leaves wither in their places, but do not 

 fall. 



Singular Leaves. Before leaving this subject, we will 

 notice two or three curious leaves which have not yet been 

 mentioned. 



There are a few species of plants which produce leaves in 

 the form of hollow cylinders, or cups, and which were un- 

 doubtedly intended by the Great Author of nature to contain 

 water, either for the nourishment of the plants themselves, or 

 for the sustenance of men, or animals. 



Nepenthes. The Chinese Pitcher plant, (Ne- J^g. 86 - 

 penthcs distillatoria,) Fig. 86, is among the most 

 extraordinary receptacles of this kind. It grows 

 in the East Indies, as well as in China. The 

 tree is an evergreen, and bears that kind of 

 flower which botanists call a panicle. The 

 leaves are sessile, or joined to the stem without 

 the intervention of a petiole. At the end of the 

 leaf there is an elongation of the midrib, like a 

 tendril, six or eight inches long. The extremity 

 of this swells into a hollow cylinder, or cup, as 

 seen in the figure, and hence the name Pitcher plant. This 

 cup commonly contains nearly half a pint of very pure water. 

 It is furnished with a kind of lid, and hence it is most proba- 

 ble that the water is produced by the action of certain organs 

 of the plant, designed for this purpose, and that it is riot the 

 product of rain. In Ceylon, where this plant is common, it is 

 called monkey cup, because these cunning animals, when 

 thirsty, and there is no stream at hand, open the lid and drink 

 the contents. Men, also, when travelling, or hunting in the 

 woods, often find the water of this pitcher an agreeable means 

 of assuaging their thirst. 



Tillandsia.The Bladder Tillandsia, (Tillandsia utricu- 

 lata.) is also a reservoir of water. This plant is a parasite, 

 that is, it lives and grows on other trees, without descending 

 to the earth for its nourishment. Its seeds are carried about 

 by the wind, and stick to other trees, especially decaying 

 ones. Here they germinate, and send out small fibres, which 

 take hold of the bark, and then weave themselves together 

 into a mat of considerable size and strength. From this 

 foundation there arise several leaves, like those of the 

 Aloe, or Pine Apple. These are folded or enclosed, one 



What extraordinary form has the Chinese pitcher plant ? In what 

 manner does the Tillandsia retain and preserve water for the use of man ? 



