[97]

Cereus? 1877

Nov. 25. This plant bears flat flabellifer rigid leaves on stems, but some are triangular in section with sides hollowed out [sketch] I selected a triangular one, 9 inches long & 1 1/2 inches in greater diameter as least likely to nutate & fixed glass filament to end with mark below & observed on Horizontal glass. [sketch]

Magnified. times.

Nov. 25 for first 2 Hours did not protect from light, yet moved from chief source of light, & then covered up, see whole tracing A manifestly nutates; observed from 9° 5' to 4° 25 P.m.

Nov. 26th next day & previous night kept plant dark & observed as before, but moved the mark so that tracing more & now 37 5/10 times magnified besides the increase of length from glass filament, which projected 1.2 inches.

Tracing B. from 8° 30' to 4° 23', during whic during which time it moved changed its course great 5 times. There can be no doubt nutates considerably & the fact is surprising — Position next morning shown.— Plant was moved 2 days previously previously from greenhouse to hot-House to accelerate growth.—

(Dyer) Cereus speciosissimus. (garden var) (sometimes Phyllocactus multiflora)