[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 9º 5' to 4º 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 8º 30' to 4º 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)