PHANEROGAMIC PLANTS. 85 



observation of luminous flowers that lias been 

 made, is the following : 



On the 18th of June, 1857, about ten o'clock 

 in the evening, M. Th. Fries, the well-known 

 Swedish botanist, whilst walking alone in the 

 Botanic garden of Upsal, remarked a group of 

 poppies (Papaver orientate), in which three or 

 four flowers emitted little flashes of light. Fore- 

 warned as he was by a knowledge that such 

 things had been observed by others, he could not 

 help believing he was suffering from an optical 

 illusion. However, the flashes continued showing 

 themselves from time to time during three-quar- 

 ters of an hour. M. Fries was thus forced to be- 

 lieve that what he saw was real. The next day, 

 observing the same phenomenon to re-occur at 

 about the same hour, he conducted to the place a 

 person entirely ignorant that such a manifesta- 

 tion of light had ever been witnessed in the vege- 

 table world, and without relating anything con- 

 cerning it, he brought his companion before the 

 group of poppies. The latter observer was 

 soon in raptures of astonishment and admiration. 

 Many other persons were then led to the same 

 spot, some of whom immediately remarked that 

 the flowers were throwing out flames. 



Some days later, on the 23rd of June, the wea- 

 ther having become warmer, fourteen persons 

 again witnessed the little flashes of light on the 



