188 WiSCONSIIir STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
it, it will be found to be as tough as leather. One of these won¬ 
derful plants is in the possession of a gentleman in England, and he 
has refused large sums of money for it. 
A dwarf tree was some time ago discovered in Southern Africa, 
whose summit never reaches more than two feet above the ground, 
and the woody stem never bears more than two leaves. These re¬ 
markable leaves appear as soon as the plant rises out of the ground, 
and remain with the plant during its entire life, which is repre¬ 
sented to be at least a hundred years. The leaf is green, and about 
six feet long, and the flower stem shoots up from the stumpy body, 
between the leaves. “ The leaf is flattened at the top, and like a 
folded card table, is divided by a central line, in two equal parts.” 
In an old plant, the leaves split into shreds before the tree dies. 
Two of these trees were on exhibition at the Centennial, in Agri¬ 
cultural Hall. 
The Resurrection Plant, of California, is both curious and inter¬ 
esting. When in a state of rest, it somewhat resembles, in color 
and form, a pine cone, with the exception that the Resurrection 
Plant has fine, fibrous roots. If this dead looking plant be put into 
a bowl of lukewarm water, the outer leaves will soon begin to un¬ 
fold, and in a few hours this ugly cone will burst forth into a beau¬ 
tiful bright green plant, a single leaf m'easuring six or eight inches. 
If allowed to resume its vigor occasionally, it will keep fresh for 
3mars. 
An Electrical Plant, a species of Phytolacca (Pokeweed), has 
been discovered in Nicaragua, which corresponds with the electric 
eel of the animal world. If the hand comes in contact with this 
plant, a shock of electricity like that from a galvanic battery is felt. 
A compass is sensibly affected when near the plant, and when 
placed in the middle of the bush, the needle turns with great rapid¬ 
ity. The intensity of the electricity is said to vary according to 
the time of day, being slight during the night, and at its height an 
hour or two after twelve o’clock; during stormy days it is consider¬ 
ably increased. In dry weather the plant remains in a withered 
state, but with the arrival of rain it returns to its original vigor. 
The Insectiverous Plant, Dionea, commonly called Venus’ Fly¬ 
trap, is a very remarkable plant, found in the bogs of South Caro¬ 
lina. It is noted for the irritability of its leaf. The leaf-stalk is 
large, and bears at the end a good-sized circular leaf, that has at 
