oral SBaEuiet an,3 ^Pictorial J£ome iiaamparuoii.- 
NEW YORK, NOVEMBER, 1879. 
REMARKABLE PLANTS. 
Some of the English papers have recently de¬ 
scribed a plant of the most novel characteristics, in 
the possession of a gentleman residing in London, 
and who is said to have been offered large sums for 
the rarity. It is about the size of an ordinary goose¬ 
berry bush, and, although living and growing, ex¬ 
hibits no semblance of vitality. It has no foliage 
whatever, but little pellicles of fine flint bud out of 
the twigs and stems, which latter are likewise encir¬ 
cled with rings of flint at every joint. In some 
places the flint, which it appears has exuded from 
the plant itself, cases the stem like a pipe. The 
plant looks black and dead, but the twigs, instead of 
being brittle like dead wood, are tough as leather 
thongs. It seems as though the flint, which forms 
so large a component of plant life, had, by some 
freak of nature, been eliminated from the natural 
vesicles of the plant, and developed outwardly. 
One of the most gigantic plants in the vegetable 
kingdom is found in Nicaragua. It is closely allied 
to the well-known hedge plant called arums, or lord 
and ladies, but until the present time has Wholly 
escaped the notice of travelling botanists. It pro¬ 
duces but one leaf, which is about fourteen feet in 
length, supported on a stalk some ten feet long. 
The stem of the flower is a foot in circumference, 
and the spathe or flower two feet long, purplish blue 
in color, with a powerful, carrion-like odor. As this 
extraordinary plant is quite new to science, it has 
yet no name. 
Oneof the most curious plants which have recently 
engaged the attention of those who arc interested in 
floriculture and kindred growths is a specimen 
known as the lattice plant, of aquatic habits, and 
brought from Madagascar as a rare acquisition. Its 
existence has for a considerable time past been 
known to botanists through a few dried leaves sent 
from Madagascar by a traveller, who was unable to 
transmit living specimens of the curiosity he had dis¬ 
covered ; and it was not until a long period there¬ 
after that this desirable object could be attained, 
when several of the living plants were safely brought 
from the above-mentioned country by the Rev. Mr. 
Ellis, the well-known missionary. The interest of this 
plant lies in the extraordinary structure of the leaves, 
which, unlike those of any other known plant, are 
made up of the ribs and cross-veins only; the inter¬ 
stices, which, in other leaves, are filled up with cel¬ 
lular tissue, being in this case left almost entirely 
open, and thus giving to the leaf the appearance, in 
every respect perfect and beautiful, of a piece of 
well-wrought net or lattice-work, from which it de¬ 
rives its name. Another though widely dissimilar 
growth, peculiar to the above-named land, may be 
here mentioned, on account of the terrible celebrity 
it acquired during the religious persecutions carried 
on under Queen Ranavalona’s reign. This is the 
ordeal poison plant or tree, of great beauty in its ap¬ 
pearance, and which was administered to those sub¬ 
jects of the queen who were suspected of being 
Christians, in the following manner: The fruit of 
the plant was taken, bruised and boiled whole; a 
fowl was boiled, and the broth set aside, and three 
pieces of the skin of the fowl were cut and put into 
the broth. A cupful of the poison was first given, 
followed by another of the broth containing the three 
pieces of skin. If vomiting did not speedily set in, 
the poison soon killed; but if it did, it was kept up 
by constant exhibition of the broth and warm water 
until the three pieces of skin were ejected. Should 
these obstinately remain, it was held as evidence of 
guilt, and another dose of poison was administered. 
What is believed to be the ugliest-looking plant 
in existence, as well as structurally the most pecu¬ 
liar ever yet seen, was discovered some time ago 
beyond the northern limits of Cape Town, Southern 
Africa. It is a stunted-looking kind of growth, 
whose summit never reaches more than two feet 
above the level of the ground, while its short, woody 
trunk never possesses more than two leaves. These 
extraordinary leaves are, in point of fact, the ex¬ 
panded seed-lobes, which make their appearance as 
soon as the young plant rises out of the ground; and, 
what is still more astonishing, these leaves live, grow, 
and remain attached to the stumpy trunk during the 
entire life of the tree, which, it is represented, lives 
at least one hundred years. It is also stated that 
these two persistent foliar organs spread out late¬ 
rally, in some instances attaining each of them a 
length of nearly six feet. 
MELANGE. 
Ra navalona , Queen of Madagascar, has issued a 
proclamation to her subjects commanding them to 
send their children to school, saying that it makes 
her glad to see her subjects wise. She adds: “ And 
so be all of you diligent, for although you do not 
now know the sweetness of knowledge and wisdom, 
you will discover it when they become yours.” 
Mu. Furness, the Shaksperean scholar, gave the 
other day a charming wedding present to the bride 
of Mr. John Foster Kirk, the historian and editor. 
It was a bracelet carrying out the idea of the coup¬ 
let : 
A belt of straw and ivy buds 
With coral clasps and amber studs. 
It was made of gold, set with ivy leaves and buds in 
green enamel, little amber bosses studding the cen¬ 
tre, and finished with a clasp of carved coral. In¬ 
side the bracelet the lines which suggested it were 
engraved. 
The report of an English Horticultural Society has 
the following : “ A novelty was the ‘ skeleton of a 
cucumber’ grown by Mr. E. R. Benmore, Cha- 
combe, in 1873; when it was cut it measured 4 ft. 
9 in., and as exhibited it presents the appearance of 
a netted-thread purse, fully 4 ft. 6 in. in length, and 
of a diameter about sufficient to pass the hand and 
arm down from end to end.” 
WHAT PEOPLE SAY. 
The Cabinet came last eve. It grows better 
and better. We have taken it three years. I re¬ 
ceived a letter from my brother saying he had sub¬ 
scribed for me. I take a number of floral papers, but 
this is the best of all. I see you have changed one 
rule. 
J. Annie Allen. 
Farmington, Me. 
The last number of The Ladies’ Floral Cabinet 
is rich with fine illustrations, and full of interesting' 
and instructive reading for ladies and florists. 
It is published at 46 Beckman Street, New York.— 
Mirror and Framer. 
The Ladies’ Floral Cabinet is a very bright 
and useful paper for those who are interested in the 
culture of flowers or in household matters. It is lull 
of Valuable information and practical advice; is 
evidently edited with care and con amorc, and pre¬ 
sents a very handsome appearance. It is published 
at 46 Beekman Street, New York .—Louisville Cou¬ 
rier-Journal. 
PUBLISHERS’ ANNOUNCEMENTS. 
Real Estate in the West. —The Denver 
Land Co. offer in another column alternate lots 
in their addition. These alternate lots are in fact 
given away, though a nominal charge of one dol¬ 
lar is made for the deed. The Company limit the 
number purchasable at this price to five lots. Many 
of the large cities of the West have been started in a 
similar manner, and those who secured lots then find 
themselves now in possession of valuable property. 
The opportunity does not often present itself of mak¬ 
ing an investment in real estate at such prices. The 
reliability of the Company and their title to the pro¬ 
perty being well established, there could be no risk, 
with a fine prospect for a rapid increase in value. 
Denver has had such a wonderfully rapid growth, it 
is probable that the land offered will be speedily 
taken up. 
