86 PHOSPHORESCENCE IN 



flowers, not only of Papaver orientals, but also 

 on those of the lily, Lilium bulbiferum. And be- 

 fore the phenomenon had ceased, upwards of a 

 hundred and fifty persons had been astonished 

 and delighted with this singular case of phospho- 

 rescence. 



In the flowers observed by the daughter of 

 Linnaeus, the phosphoric light produced was not 

 continuous ; it manifested itself in flickerings or 

 sparks, which were shot out from the corolla, and 

 resembled somewhat those given by an electric 

 machine. Other observers agree with these state- 

 ments, and remark that the plants in question are 

 most luminous on calm sultry summer evenings 

 when the air is highly charged with electricity, 

 and have never been noticed to emit light when 

 the atmosphere is very damp. 



In the phenomena remarked by Fries, the phos- 

 phorescence of the flowers always occurred be- 

 tween the hours of a quarter past ten and a quar- 

 ter past eleven in the evening. The weather was 

 warm and sultry, and the luminous phenomenon 

 was best observed by looking at a group of 

 poppies without fixing the eyes upon any one 

 flower in particular. 



But the emission of light by phanerogamic 

 plants is not limited to the flowers. Some natu- 

 ralists assure us that the leaves of CEnothera ma- 

 crocarpa, an American plant, exhibit phosphoric 



