The Romance of Plant Life

t-Cactus and euphorbia-Curious shapes-Grey hairs-Iceplant-Esparto grass-Retama-Colocynth-Sudden flowering of the Karoo-Short-live

he very borders of British India, stretches a desert of the most uncompromising character. It is famous in history: the strongest races of ma

s one has really seen them. But it is nece

aces the soil is hard, and is everywhere covered by pebbles or shingle. Often it is a mere waste of sand blown into

pe, but instead of water there is only sand in sweeping curves

shed smooth and glittering or deeply cut by the flinty parti

jolt and wrench of his rough-paced mount, suffers from the heat, for nowhere else in the world are there such hi

re air is most

rizon produces an ever-changing, indescribable play of colour from violet to salmon pink and through the most delicate shades

rain only falls on perhaps eight days

en where there is only about

at sand may be almost glowing hot during the day, whilst in

xcepting the Vultur aura, which preys on the carcases, I saw neither bird, quadruped, reptile, nor insect. On the coast mountains, at the height of about 2000 feet, where, during this season, the clouds generally hang, a very few cacti were growing in the clefts of rock; and the loose sand was strewed over with a lichen which lies on

great stretches of land consisting of ca?ons separated by small ridges, in which not a sp

s grow there. Even in Egypt, when one has left the Nile inundation limit, a botanical eye very se

as men; they can adapt them

n the skin or epidermis of a plant is being formed, the walls of its cells are laid down, layer by layer, one inside the other, by the secretion of the living matter inside. In a dry desert the loss of water

e have the power of altering t

, droughty gravel banks only lost 10 per cent. of its water in the first two days, when it was artificially dried. Other Sheep's Sorrels, which had

t be perishing of thirst when a Bedouin Arab would be perfectly happy. The pla

ts, Cacti, Euphorbias, and others of the same extra

for 576 days. That is probably the longest time "between drinks" on record. A Houseleek (Sempervivum), w

near Aconcagu

allest branch is the dark red flower of the parasitic hora

tems and leaves certain substances which hold water and delay its escape. Moreover their extraordinary sha

t, it is quite clear that they would cover a much greater surface. Thin leaves

that these condensed round balls and fleshy columns h

stuff as that of an Aristolochia leaf. If the actual loss of water from the Echinocactus, as found by experiment, was reckone

re an extraordinary help to them. We have already pointed out in a previous chapter how nece

e are many woody little, much branched, twiggy shrublets, which bristle all over with thorn

ither in white cottonwool, like the Lammie's Lug of our gardens, or else in grey hairs. The general tint of

ng to walk in a Scotch mist, to keep out the moisture. These plants cover themselves with hairs or c

ce crystals. The swellings contain a store of water, or rather of colourless sap, which makes it able to exist in dry places. Dr. Ludwig says that a torn-off branch remained quite fresh for months o

e hills, and dig it up by the roots; they then load their camels with the grass and bring it to the ports whence it is sent to London or other places. A very good and durable paper is made from it, and ropes, mats, and even shoes are also produced from the fibre. Part of the "esparto" is, however, furnished by another grass (Lygeum

on broom, but has long, leafless, whip-like branches covered by bright pink-and-white flowers. It can often be seen half submerged in waves of sand, and struggling

ot as thick as one's thumb. Even at a depth of four or five feet below the surface its root will be as thick as the little finger, so that the root-length is at least t

any particular protection against loss of water. It is always supplied by its roots with underground water. If a stem is cut through it withers away in a few minutes. This is found also in Asia Minor, Greece, and Spain. The pulp of the fruit contains a strong medicinal substance;

year or even for a longer period. So soon as a shower of rain falls they start to life, push out their leaves, and live at very high pressure for a few days. After a shower of rain, the Karoo in South Africa, for instance, is an extraordinarily

woody little densely-branched mats of the permanent flora. The rain stimulates even these last to put out green leaves and flowers, but their time comes later on, whe

ate, and barren-looking, with only its

r of rain a whole crowd of tiny annuals suddenly develop from seed; they come into full flower and have set their seed before they are killed off by a return of the desert conditions, when the effects of th

on the other side of the globe! In Colorado they seem to be much influenced by the quantity of rain. Mr. Orcutt, after the great rain of February, 1891, found plants of Amaranthus (allied to our Love-Lies-Bleeding), which w

that the most wonderful results appear. The whole of lower Egypt, Babylon, Nineveh, Damascu

aces where the brown, regular layers of the Nubian Sandstone form cliffs which advance a

the cliffs recede, one notices a line of tall, graceful date palms, mixed occasionally with the branched D?m palm (the nut of which yields vegetable ivory).[66] Tamarisks, conspicuous for their confused, silvery-green

weak little coo. The air is suffering from the horrible creaking and groaning of a "sakkieh" water-wheel. This is made entirely of acacia wood, and is watering the plantations. Sometimes it seems like a crying child, then, perhaps, one is reminded of the bagpipes, but its most marked peculiarity is the wearisome iteration. It never stops. One of them is said to supply about 1-1/2 acres daily at a cost of seven s

y a few miserable little thorny bushes. The entire absence of gras

nding in the crown at the top where the leaves spring off was quite clearly in the minds of the architect at Karnak and other temples. It goes on bearing its fruits for some two hundred years, and begins to yield when only seven years old. It revels in a hot, dry climate with its roots in water, an

esome and nutritious. Sometimes toddy is made by fermenting the sap

ingly graceful. When quite young they are not divided, but they split down to the main

se in the world. Amongst the corn and barley, which can be there grown without irrigation, masses of scarlet Poppies and Ranunculus are mingled with golden-ye

er the hand of man rejoic

sure, when, resting at his tent-door, the Arab is irresistibly compelled to study the stars and to contemplate the infinite beauty of the night. It seems also to have been in the desert of the old world that man first learnt to cultivate the soil. In fact, it was