Democratic Sentinel, Volume 19, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 May 1895 — A VEGETABLE PYTHON. [ARTICLE]

A VEGETABLE PYTHON.

The Wild Fig Vine Binds Big Trees With Bands as of Iron. Woe betide the forest giant when he falls into the clutches of the clusia or fig. Its seeds being provided with a pulp, which is very pleasant to tho taste of a great number of birds, are carried from tree to tree and deposited on the brandies. Hore it germinates, the leafy stem rising upward and the roots iiowing, as it were, down the trunk until they reach the soil. At first these aerial roots are soft and delicate, with apparently no moro power for evil than so many streams of pitch, which they resemble in their slowly flowing motion downward. Here and there they branch, especially if an obstruction is met with, when the stream either changes its course or divides to right and left. Meanwhile leafy branches havo been developed, which push themselves through the canopy above and get into the light, where their growth is enormously accelerated, as this takes place the roots havo generally reached the ground and begun to draw sustenance from below to strengthen the whole plant. Then comes a wonderful development. The hitherto soft aerial roots begin to burden and spread wider and wider, throwing out side branches which flow into and amalgamate with each other until the whole treo trunk is bound in a series of irregular living hoops. The strangler is now ready for its deadly work. The forest giant, like all exogans, must have room to increase in girth, and here he is bound by cords which are stronger than iron bunds. Like an athlete, lie tries to expand and burst his fettors, and if thoy were rigid he might succeed. The burk bulges between every interlacing—bulges out, and oven tries to overlap, hut the monster has taken every precaution against this by making its bands very numerous and wide. As the treo bocomos weaker its leaves bogin to fall, and this givos moro room for Its foe. Soon tho stranglor expands Itself Into a great hush almost us large us the mass of branches and foliage It has effaced. If wo look curofully around us wo see examples of entire obliteration — a chisia or lig, standing on Its reticulated hollow pillar, with only a heap of brown humus at its buHo to show what has become of the trunk which oneo stood up In all its majesty on thut spot.