"Arthur Porges - Unusual Plants of the Galaxy" - читать интересную книгу автора (Porges Arthur)
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Story Checklist Arthur Porges: Dreamer Mystery Fiction |
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Unusual Plants of the Galaxy by Arthur Porges Introduction ~ Vedius Flame Lily ~ by Arthur Porges First published in "Memo", ca. 1996. The Flame-Lily of Vedius, the 2nd planet of Saiph in the Constellation of
Orion, is truly remarkable, unexpected biologically, and its arising there is almost
certainly unique in the universe. Its flame, small and dim by day, larger and brighter at
night, attracts the mothlike "insects" (very different from Earth's Arthropods)
that supply the plant with protein. The flame also deters most predators which would
relish the lily's fleshy leaves or its thick, oily roots. One has to marvel at how natural
selection, powerful as it is, brought about this development. The verdict is not yet in,
and biologists are still divided on the mechanism by which this Promethean plant managed
to acquire and control fire. But it has and does! Imagine a mere plant rivaling man
himself in such a triumph! A stiff, narrow tube arises between the creamy petals with their black
rosettes; from it comes hydrogen produced by electrolysis of water in the damp soil about
the roots. The gas is set alight and burns continuously as circumstances permit. Since
pure hydrogen, as all chemistry students know, burns with almost no color, the lily
actually infuses it with organic particles from its food, so that as with a candle, a
yellow tinge makes it quite visible, especially in the dark. Energy to generate the
hydrogen, as with insectivorous plants on Earth, comes from the bodies of its prey, which
lured by the light are scorched, fall into a kind of bowl, and are absorbed and liquefied
by acidic fluid secreted by the lily. The most obvious question about this amazing organism, one of vital
importance, is: how can any organic matter - in this case the tube - withstand fire and
not be consumed and carbonised to ash. The answer is that the tube is lined with an oxide
of silica plentiful in the soil of Vedius. On Earth, silicon fibers are found in many
plants, like Equisetum, and even in some marine organisms. Another crucial question is: How does the lily strike a light? Saiph is
not a very hot star, but Vedius orbits it rather closely, so that sunlight, when
available, is appreciable. In the morning, when dew forms on the plant, the light rays are
focused by little globules of water collected by tentacles arising between the petals.
It's astonishing to watch tiny points of light move slowly along the silica tube until, at
the top, they meet, ignite the hydrogen, and flame appears. According to the legendary
botanist, "The Female Darwin" Dr. (Exobiology) Susan Wright, who first studied
the lily 90 years ago, tendrils bend gradually toward water drops collected on a web-like
network, and thanks to surface tension, pick up globules and adjust the tiny magnifiers to
exactly the right position to ignite the gas. Of course, no plant has the kind of muscles common to animals, but as with
our Venus Flytrap, it manages its movement by hydraulics, using sap. For the Flame-Lily,
wonderful as it is, life is not, pardon the phrase, a Bed of Roses. If its flame blows out
when there are clouds, it cannot be lit; and, that night, predators move in, devour the
leaves and destroy the plant. Even if missed by such enemies, a dark plant captures no
insects. An intriguing - some would say amusing - aspect of the strange plant is
that in those rather uncommon areas fertile enough to sustain a small colony of flowers, a
variety of little animals take advantage of their warmth by clustering there. It may be a
symbiotic relationship, since these "squatters" have been known to unite to
drive away the minor predators able to kill and feed upon the lily. The plant is fairly
rare even on Vedius. It is difficult to grow it on Earth, but plant fanciers in the small
city of Pacific Grove, in California, have managed to accomplish that unusual feat. Be
sure to go there and ask about them, if you can, as when you next visit Earth. ~ Redi's Squash Plant ~ by Arthur Porges First published in "Memo", Issue 64, ca. 1996. Redi, the giant, only, planet of Gamma Draconis, a 2.3 magnitude star in
the Constellation Draco, 108 light years from earth, is home to the fascinating, unique Swatter
Plant. The planet is named for the 17th century Italian naturalist, Francesco Redi,
who by a series of brilliant experiments demolished the widely-held but fallacious
conviction that maggots arose spontaneously in rotting meat. As for the plant itself, it was first spotted, oddly enough, not by a
botanist, or even a biologist, but a mathematical philosopher, Edward J. Nauss, who was
vacationing on Redi in 2348. Despite its size, some 100,000 kilometers in diameter, the
planet, thanks to its low density, roughly that of lithium, has a surface gravity only
slightly greater than Earth's, so that humans are perfectly comfortable there. That, plus
a salubrious atmosphere and a host of interesting but non-aggressive animals, makes the
planet terrestrial-friendly, so to speak. The plant, which strikes many observers as almost clownish in its
operations, thrives best in the fairly rare patches of soil that are rich in a very heavy,
non-reactive, organic oil, almost twice the density of water. Water, which might serve the
Swatter's need tolerably well, is rare on Redi. Nitrogen is also in short supply, and
since, like carbon and hydrogen, it is vital to a plant's survival, the plant must get it
from living organisms much like our own insectivorous ones. The basic operative parts of the Swatter consist of a large, 15 by 18cm,
base leaf, oval-shaped, very porous, and covered with hundreds of trigger-hairs to detect
and report any prey moving across it, and an upper leaf, to be described shortly. It
should be noted that if too many such sensors are activated, the plant somehow knows the
potential dinner is too big to be successfully attacked, and withholds its deadly blow.
The base leaf, it should be pointed out, is dense and tough, almost as hard as wood, a
quality essential to its role. From the bottom of the Swatter's thick stem there springs a slender
branch, highly flexible and vascular. It bears at its top, some 50 centimeters up as a
rule, a structure which, along with the base leaf, completes the plant's killing
mechanism. It is roughly the same size as the "anvil" below, with a flat, tough
lower side and a thinner, expansible upper one. The latter, when filled with the heavy oil
drawn up by capillary and other forces common to earth's plants, resembles a
partly-deflated balloon, flat on the bottom and shaped like a football above. Now, when any of the small, insect-like or even mouse-like creatures
numerous on Redi happen to traverse the base leaf, sensors alert the plant, which like the
Venus flytrap on earth, can free the oleodraulic hammer instantly to fall! It was the WHOMP!
of such a stroke that drew Nauss's attention and led to the discovery of the Swatter. He
roared with laughter on realising what that sound implied, so reminiscent it was of the
ancient, primitive fly-swatters once common on earth, and it led, of course, to the
plant's name. When the prey has been mashed against the firm base-leaf, its juices are
slowly absorbed by many little pores and digested for their nitrogen and other essential
nutriments. Since the fluid-filled "balloon" is far too heavy to be hoisted back
into position some fifty centimeters high, it is quickly drained of its oil by five valves
evenly placed around its longer circumference and then raised by its springy, slender
branch, after which it will gradually be refilled, ready for its next victim. The Swatter is unique to Redi, but can be grown elsewhere if its vital
oil, which has so far defied synthesis, is extracted from the ground and injected into
foreign soil; but the operation is very tricky, and often fails. But the experience of
observing the plant's killing mechanism in operation is available in RNA tablet form in
the gift shop in the north lobby. The above pieces may not be reprinted or reproduced in any form
without permission. All works on this page are © 1996, by Arthur Porges. More pieces in this series will be posted here soon. Please check
back for updates.
|
|
|
Please e-mail Richard
Simms with any questions, comments, or contributions. |
|
Story Checklist Arthur Porges: Dreamer Mystery Fiction |
|
|
Unusual Plants of the Galaxy by Arthur Porges Introduction ~ Vedius Flame Lily ~ by Arthur Porges First published in "Memo", ca. 1996. The Flame-Lily of Vedius, the 2nd planet of Saiph in the Constellation of
Orion, is truly remarkable, unexpected biologically, and its arising there is almost
certainly unique in the universe. Its flame, small and dim by day, larger and brighter at
night, attracts the mothlike "insects" (very different from Earth's Arthropods)
that supply the plant with protein. The flame also deters most predators which would
relish the lily's fleshy leaves or its thick, oily roots. One has to marvel at how natural
selection, powerful as it is, brought about this development. The verdict is not yet in,
and biologists are still divided on the mechanism by which this Promethean plant managed
to acquire and control fire. But it has and does! Imagine a mere plant rivaling man
himself in such a triumph! A stiff, narrow tube arises between the creamy petals with their black
rosettes; from it comes hydrogen produced by electrolysis of water in the damp soil about
the roots. The gas is set alight and burns continuously as circumstances permit. Since
pure hydrogen, as all chemistry students know, burns with almost no color, the lily
actually infuses it with organic particles from its food, so that as with a candle, a
yellow tinge makes it quite visible, especially in the dark. Energy to generate the
hydrogen, as with insectivorous plants on Earth, comes from the bodies of its prey, which
lured by the light are scorched, fall into a kind of bowl, and are absorbed and liquefied
by acidic fluid secreted by the lily. The most obvious question about this amazing organism, one of vital
importance, is: how can any organic matter - in this case the tube - withstand fire and
not be consumed and carbonised to ash. The answer is that the tube is lined with an oxide
of silica plentiful in the soil of Vedius. On Earth, silicon fibers are found in many
plants, like Equisetum, and even in some marine organisms. Another crucial question is: How does the lily strike a light? Saiph is
not a very hot star, but Vedius orbits it rather closely, so that sunlight, when
available, is appreciable. In the morning, when dew forms on the plant, the light rays are
focused by little globules of water collected by tentacles arising between the petals.
It's astonishing to watch tiny points of light move slowly along the silica tube until, at
the top, they meet, ignite the hydrogen, and flame appears. According to the legendary
botanist, "The Female Darwin" Dr. (Exobiology) Susan Wright, who first studied
the lily 90 years ago, tendrils bend gradually toward water drops collected on a web-like
network, and thanks to surface tension, pick up globules and adjust the tiny magnifiers to
exactly the right position to ignite the gas. Of course, no plant has the kind of muscles common to animals, but as with
our Venus Flytrap, it manages its movement by hydraulics, using sap. For the Flame-Lily,
wonderful as it is, life is not, pardon the phrase, a Bed of Roses. If its flame blows out
when there are clouds, it cannot be lit; and, that night, predators move in, devour the
leaves and destroy the plant. Even if missed by such enemies, a dark plant captures no
insects. An intriguing - some would say amusing - aspect of the strange plant is
that in those rather uncommon areas fertile enough to sustain a small colony of flowers, a
variety of little animals take advantage of their warmth by clustering there. It may be a
symbiotic relationship, since these "squatters" have been known to unite to
drive away the minor predators able to kill and feed upon the lily. The plant is fairly
rare even on Vedius. It is difficult to grow it on Earth, but plant fanciers in the small
city of Pacific Grove, in California, have managed to accomplish that unusual feat. Be
sure to go there and ask about them, if you can, as when you next visit Earth. ~ Redi's Squash Plant ~ by Arthur Porges First published in "Memo", Issue 64, ca. 1996. Redi, the giant, only, planet of Gamma Draconis, a 2.3 magnitude star in
the Constellation Draco, 108 light years from earth, is home to the fascinating, unique Swatter
Plant. The planet is named for the 17th century Italian naturalist, Francesco Redi,
who by a series of brilliant experiments demolished the widely-held but fallacious
conviction that maggots arose spontaneously in rotting meat. As for the plant itself, it was first spotted, oddly enough, not by a
botanist, or even a biologist, but a mathematical philosopher, Edward J. Nauss, who was
vacationing on Redi in 2348. Despite its size, some 100,000 kilometers in diameter, the
planet, thanks to its low density, roughly that of lithium, has a surface gravity only
slightly greater than Earth's, so that humans are perfectly comfortable there. That, plus
a salubrious atmosphere and a host of interesting but non-aggressive animals, makes the
planet terrestrial-friendly, so to speak. The plant, which strikes many observers as almost clownish in its
operations, thrives best in the fairly rare patches of soil that are rich in a very heavy,
non-reactive, organic oil, almost twice the density of water. Water, which might serve the
Swatter's need tolerably well, is rare on Redi. Nitrogen is also in short supply, and
since, like carbon and hydrogen, it is vital to a plant's survival, the plant must get it
from living organisms much like our own insectivorous ones. The basic operative parts of the Swatter consist of a large, 15 by 18cm,
base leaf, oval-shaped, very porous, and covered with hundreds of trigger-hairs to detect
and report any prey moving across it, and an upper leaf, to be described shortly. It
should be noted that if too many such sensors are activated, the plant somehow knows the
potential dinner is too big to be successfully attacked, and withholds its deadly blow.
The base leaf, it should be pointed out, is dense and tough, almost as hard as wood, a
quality essential to its role. From the bottom of the Swatter's thick stem there springs a slender
branch, highly flexible and vascular. It bears at its top, some 50 centimeters up as a
rule, a structure which, along with the base leaf, completes the plant's killing
mechanism. It is roughly the same size as the "anvil" below, with a flat, tough
lower side and a thinner, expansible upper one. The latter, when filled with the heavy oil
drawn up by capillary and other forces common to earth's plants, resembles a
partly-deflated balloon, flat on the bottom and shaped like a football above. Now, when any of the small, insect-like or even mouse-like creatures
numerous on Redi happen to traverse the base leaf, sensors alert the plant, which like the
Venus flytrap on earth, can free the oleodraulic hammer instantly to fall! It was the WHOMP!
of such a stroke that drew Nauss's attention and led to the discovery of the Swatter. He
roared with laughter on realising what that sound implied, so reminiscent it was of the
ancient, primitive fly-swatters once common on earth, and it led, of course, to the
plant's name. When the prey has been mashed against the firm base-leaf, its juices are
slowly absorbed by many little pores and digested for their nitrogen and other essential
nutriments. Since the fluid-filled "balloon" is far too heavy to be hoisted back
into position some fifty centimeters high, it is quickly drained of its oil by five valves
evenly placed around its longer circumference and then raised by its springy, slender
branch, after which it will gradually be refilled, ready for its next victim. The Swatter is unique to Redi, but can be grown elsewhere if its vital
oil, which has so far defied synthesis, is extracted from the ground and injected into
foreign soil; but the operation is very tricky, and often fails. But the experience of
observing the plant's killing mechanism in operation is available in RNA tablet form in
the gift shop in the north lobby. The above pieces may not be reprinted or reproduced in any form
without permission. All works on this page are © 1996, by Arthur Porges. More pieces in this series will be posted here soon. Please check
back for updates.
|
|
|
Please e-mail Richard
Simms with any questions, comments, or contributions. |
|
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