34 
THE JOUKNAL OF EOTANT 
when Turner wrote (Herbal [o.iiij.], 1551) that the leaves “have an 
hollow thyng at the cummyng out of the two leues, wliyche cum one 
furtlie agaynste an other : wher in is gathered water, both of the 
rayne and also of the dew.” Gerard, more precise, wrote ( Herbal , 
p. 1005,1597) :—“The leaves grovve foortli of the iointes by couples, 
not onely opposite or set one against an other, but also compassing 
the stalke about, and fastened togither, and so fastened that "they 
hold deaw and mine water in manner of a little bason.” 
These “basons” or “cups” are entire and hold water perfectly, 
unless punctured or broken. There are generally three or four of 
them, one above the other, on the stem of each plant of average 
height, which is often six or seven feet, though most of our botany 
books give the height as five or six feet. There are also usually 
smaller and less perfect cups on some of the lateral branches. This 
collection of water in the cups is a regular and every-day occurrence, 
not a casual or occasional phenomenon. There is always a certain 
amount of water in the cups, unless in times of very exceptional 
drought. Indeed, the very name of the genus , Dipsacus (from the 
Greek Sixpios, thirsty), is derived from this characteristic habit, though 
some members of the genus do not possess it. There are, of course, 
other plants with connate leaves which similarly form cups round 
their stems and catch water in them, as, for instance, Silphium per- 
foliatum , a North American plant belonging to the Composite. There 
are also plants the leaves of which, though not connate, form recep¬ 
tacles that, though not perfect cups, hold water effectively, as, for 
instance, JBillbergia , mentioned hereafter. 
On 3rd July 1883, when in an open part of a wood at Chignal 
St. James, near Chelmsfond, which had been cut down, I believe, 
two years earlier, I noticed a large number of Teasels with their cups 
full of water—the result of heavy rain which had fallen about 
five o’clock that morning, there having been none for several days 
previously ; and, as the cups seemed to be unusually full, the idea 
occurred to me that it would be of interest to ascertain what total 
quantity of water an average plant is capable of holding in its cups 
at one time. Thereupon, by the best means available (which were, 
1 admit, somewhat rough and ready), I measured the water in the 
cups of eight average-sized plants, with the following results :— 
No. of Plant. 
Height of Plant. 
Quantity of Water. 
1 . 
(> ft. 6 ins. 
f pint. 
2 . 
6 ft. 0 „ 
f pint. 
3 . 
6 ft. 0 „ 
f pint. 
4 . 
6 ft. 0 „ 
\ pint. 
5 . 
5 ft. 9 „ 
f pint. 
G . 
5 ft. 4 „ 
i pint. 
7 . 
5 ft. 0 „ 
pint. 
8 . 
5 ft. 0 ,, 
| pint. 
Averages ... 
5 ft. 8| ins. 
About ^ pint. 
It will be seen that the water-cups on the eight plants held alto¬ 
gether a little less than four pints and a half of water, or an average 
