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NATURAL HISTORY. 22% 
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Mife of the plant; for the flower ftem, fhooting to fo 
Ahigha ftature, draws from the centre fuch a quan- 
tity of nourifhment as to render the leaves irrecover- 
ably decayed : And when the flowers are full biown, 
‘Tearceély any of the leaves remain alive :’ But when- 
ever this happens, the old root fhoots an innumerable 
quantity of offsetts, by which thefe plants are not 
only preferved, but confiderably increafed. 
The accounts of this plant are. like thofe of many | 
others, rather fabulous. That of its blooming only 
once ina hundred years) and making a report likea 
_ gun, are equally falfe; for many American aloes have 
een known to bloom in much lefs time. In the year 
1729, a great Amcrican aloe flowered at the age of 
forty years, in a garden belonging to Mr. Cowell, at 
Hoxton : And 4 later date, fome have been known 
to bloom at the diftance of twenty years. 
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DIDIER 
| SENSIPIV FF PLANT. 
ris 
I MIS plant is very furprifing in its contexture, 
and has caufed much inveftigation among the natural- 
ifts, to account for the contraétion of its leaves when 
any of them are touched. ‘They clofe themfelves by 
pairs, joining their upper fuperficies together. Aqua- 
fortis being dropped on the fprig between the leaves 
‘was found to caufe ther to clofe by pairs fucceffively 
to the top of each fprig, and to continue in this ftate 
fome time : But the next day the leaves on two or 
| three {prigs were again expanded, except thofe on | 
that where the aquafortis had been dropped, being 
_ withered from the place upwards, although they con- 
tinued green downwards. A pair being Ridden? cut 
off with fciffars, the next palr above and below im- 
mediately clofed, and after a little time all on the fame 
fprig followed the example, which extended even to 


