288 PHENOMENA OF PLANTS. 



a serene sky, expand their flowers, and as it were with cheer- 

 ful looks behold the light of the sun ; but before rain, they shut 

 them up, as the tulip. 



The flowers of the chick-wintergreen (Trientulis) droop 

 in the night, lest rain or moisture should injure the fertilizing 

 pollen. 



One species of woodsorrel, shuts up or doubles its leaves be- 

 fore storms and tempests, but in a serene sky expands or unfolds 

 them, so that husbandmen can foretel tempests from it. It is 

 also well known that the sensitive plants, and cassia, observe 

 the same rule. 



Besides affording prognostics of weather, many plants fold 

 themselves up at particular hours, with such regularity as to 

 have acquired names from this property. The following arc 

 among the more remarkable plants of this description. 



Goatsleard. The flowers of both species of Tragopogon, 

 open in the morning at the approach of the sun, and without 

 regard to the state of the weather, regularly shut about noon. 

 Hence it is generally known by the name of go-to-bed-at-noon. 



The Princesses' leaf, or four o'clock flower (Mirabilis), in 

 the Malay Islands, is an elegant shrub, so called by the natives, 

 because their ladies are fond of the grateful odour of its whito 

 leaves. It opens its flowers at four in the evening, and does not 

 close them till the same hour returns in the morning. Many 

 people transplant them from the woods into their gardens, and 

 use them as a dial or clock, especially in cloudy weather. 



The Evening Primrose (CEnothera), is well known from its 

 remarkable properties of regularly shutting with a loud popping 

 noise, about sunrise, and opening at sunset. After six o'clock, 

 these flowers regularly report the approach of night. 



The tamarind tree, the water lily (Nymph&a), the mary- 

 gold, the false sensitive plant, and several others of the Dia- 

 delphia class, in serene weather expand their leaves in the day 

 time, and contract them during the night. According to some 

 botanists, the tamarind tree enfolds within its leaves, the flowers 

 or fruit every night, in order to guard them from cold or rain. 



The flower of the garden lettuce, which is in a vertical 

 plane, opens at seven o'clock, and shuts at ten. 



" A species of serpentine aloes, without prickles, whose large 

 and beautiful flower exhales a strong odour of the Vanilla dur- 

 ing the time of its expansion, which is very short, is cultivated 

 in the imperial garden of Paris. It does not blossom until to- 

 wards the month of July, and about five o'clock in the evening, 

 at which time it gradually opens its petals, expands them, 



Plants which hang their heads at night and in storms The Go-to-bed-at>> 

 noon The four o'clock Evening Primrose. 



