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THURSDAY. JUNE 30. 1960
MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE. MEDFORD, ORE.
r 'Worlds y v.
w Around ' '
By Lynn M. Watkins ... ' I aSry
f Tex imbi
.(' ' . z:S&
The Gooloqical Story
Behind Ceiimon Leavei
You would have been very
unobserving not to have seen
in hotel lobbies and in plant
ings of tropical plants the
sturdy vine with the huge,
shiny green leaves; , leaves
that are deeply cut and per
forated with many irregular
openings.
The sturdy vine had Its
origin in Mexico and Central
America a very long time ago
and is named monstera : de
liciosa because a delicate
flavored fruit grows on the
vine. Called also a cerimon,
it is a member of the Arum
family.
It is unusual because of its
large leaves and the deep' cuts
and perforations in the leaves.
In its native land in a tropi
cal Jungle, the leaves often
are four feet long and three
feet wide.
Perforated Leaves
The openings in the leave:
and their deeply cut edges
serve a very definite use.
Here we find a specialized
type of plant adaptation to
its environment.
We must project our
thoughts back across millions
of years of geological time;
back to the very beginning of
plant growth. It was dark in
the jungle. Those plants that
grew close to the ground
were hungry for sunlight.
They struggled upward.
But the forest giants grew
ever higher and denser. The
plants on the jungle floor
couldn't make it. So, they re
signed themselves to the low
er, more-shady level. Over a
period of undetermined time,
they increased the individual
size of their leaves, thereby
presenting more leaf Surface
to what sunlight came
through.
The development of the
leaves over a long period of
time took on gigantic propor
tions. Along the vertical stem
of the vine one great leaf
overlapped the one below it,
but all arranged themselves
to catch every trace of sun
light. The vine struggled up
ward, leaning on a tree for
support. It sent out tiny,
clasping fingers that held it in
place.
No Realiiation
The plant, having no sense,
never realized what it was
doing in developing its huge
leaves. As one giant leaf put
out from the parent stem, one
above the other, a problem of
another sort presented itself.
In its attempt to increase its
leaf area, it overdid it, and
the leaves, overlapping, acted
like the shingles of a roof
funneling the water away
from the root system.
Something had to happen,
and once again, the plant be
gan another phase of its de
velopment. This time .holes
and deep, leaf-edge cuts slow
ly appeared. Now the rains
came again and again over
years and years, and the
water ran through the open
' ings in the leaf. Adaptation.
This, then, seems the ob
vious explanation for the per
forations; perhaps it all hap
pened like that; maybe it
didn't, but the holes are there
in all the leaves of the ceri
mon; plant evolution n r"
lions of years of plant growth
from the dark rain-jungles to
the tropical display in a mod
ern hotel lobby.
(Released by The Register and
Tribune Syndicate. 1960)
Governors Call for
Medical Program
Glacier Park, Mont. -fllPD-The
nS$n's governors, in a
surprise but narrow vote,
called on Congress Wednes
day to enact a medical in
surance program for the aged
based on the Social Security
payment system.
The medical aid resolution,
amended at the last minute,
was adopted by a roll call
vote of 30-13-barely the re
quired two-thirds majority.
The National Governor's
conference1 also acted on al
most a score of other reso
lutions including one calling
for continuation of the in
terstate highway construction
program with financing which
will not mean an increase in
the three-cent federal gaso
line tax.
Man's Best Friend
Navigates Automobile
Newark, N.J. - A Newark
man was hit by his own car
in his own driveway.
Victor Knaph was treated
for a fractured ISg. He stop
ped the car next to his house
and got out too close to the
garage door.
In slamming the door sharp
ly, Knaph startled his dog,
Billy, who was curled up in
the front seat.
The dog jumped and knock
eg the gearghi Into "Drive."
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SEARS
501 EAST JACKSON MEDFORD SHOPPING CENTER
OPEN MONDAY AND FRIDAY 'TIL 9 P.M.
PHONE SP 3-6661 FREE PARKING