INFLAMMABLE PLANTS. 309 



applied to the fruit while it is still growing 1 , it is made to 

 assume a variety of forms, to adapt it to the various purposes 

 for which they use it. They often carve, polish, and stain it, 

 and their goblets, water cans, and even their kettles to boil 

 water, are made from it; the hard woody shell being so thin, 

 and close-grained, as to stand fire several times before it is 

 destroyed. 



HENRIETTA. 



Aunt, I heard the other day, that the flowers of the Nastur- 

 tium give out sparks in the evening. 



We are told by Linnaeus that his daughter observed this 

 phenomenon in the common Nasturtium (Tropacolum majus}, 

 but the Fraxinella (Dictamnus Fraxindla} is the most curi- 

 ous instance of this exhalation of inflammable vapor from 

 plants. Its leaves and stem are covered with little brown 

 resinous glands, emitting a powerful balsamic odor. This 

 plant, in warm weather, is surrounded by an inflammable 

 atmosphere, formed by its own vapor, which will take fire 

 when a light is applied to it, and produce a bright rapid flame 

 which does no injury to the plant. It has been ascertained, 

 that this vapor is volatile oil suspended in the atmosphere. 

 Then there is the club moss (Lycopodium clavatum), the 

 minute volatile seeds of which are highly inflammable, like 

 powdered sulphur, and are used in Germany for artificial 

 lightning on the stage. When dispersed in the air, they take 

 fire with a candle, and suddenly explode.* 



In Captain Beechey's Voyage, we are told that the inhab- 

 itants of Pitcairn's Island and some others find an excellent 

 substitute for candles in the doodoe or candle nuts, f These 



* Sir J. Smith. 



t Beechey's voyage, vol. i. and Lord Byron's voyage to the 

 South Sea Islands. 



