LIGHT-GIVING PLANTS.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18242, 28 November 1924, Page 11

LIGHT-GIVING PLANTS.

In certain weather conditions quits « number of common garden fio»ere gS»» or give out tiny flashes of light (writes S. Leonard Bastin in "TJP.'a and Cs»» sell'B Weekly"): The first person to notice this interesting phenomenon n the daughter of the great Swedish naturalist. Linnaeus. One very dogA Juno evening, when t'nero was a tendency to thunder, the child rac indoors to-her father saying that a large pateli of nasturtiums .seemed to be on Sre. Linnxcu3 was not long in going oat to see something which even his observant eye had hitherto overlooked, and lost no time in comnrnnicatißg his observations to other botanists, who as opportunity offered, investigated th» fascinating problem- Some scientists were at- first rather sceptical, thinking that the light which was thought to b® seen coming from the flowers was th* result of an optical illusion. Ercstsally it was proved beyond all daabt that' not rinlv nsM-urriuras..-butrOMW" plants as veil, emit light from t&esr "blossoms. " •The happening appears to ow* common m tie case of yellow or orange oolouxed-fi A f .-u the common mangold, tha mangold, ;»d £»™s. ~uSU otener. have been E ° tlced n mLr of plant, which bear . rcd '^ U ' cr2Jl j Ul us, and verb* naa Poppies, g "I 0 Tore" 5» iateW have been toiaw. the Itate 0? the atmosphere has airayj S 'ihe same-very warn; .and cry. O n lv at such times w1: ot any_u*a searching for light-gmng flowers. Even to dav botanists arc not unanimous as to the cause., of tho light given out by flowers-. -