To the thoughtful observer almost every vegetable form has something of interest, but to the masses they are generally only weeds or common plants. Even those that have some striking peculiarity soon lose their interest by familiarity. The vegetable kingdom is full of unique forms, many of which, to the common reader, are almost, if not entirely unknown. Some of these, from their form, habits, or productions, are quite curious and interesting. A list of all such as would be strange and curious to 80 per cent. of the people of this country, would be quite a long one, and leave but little room in an ordinary article for description.

A brief note of some little known vegetable forms may not be without interest to some of the younger readers of the Gardeners' Monthly.

The gourd tribe furnishes some interesting species. One of these - the Cucurbita claviformis, grows in the vicinity of Constantinople, and is believed, by the people of that country, to be the real Jonah's gourd. It forms an almost impermeable shade, under which the orientals delight to sit and smoke.

The curious fruit hangs down in long, delicate clubs, somewhat resembling large, overgrown candles. This fruit is prepared for food by scooping out the central portion and filling it with force meat. It is then boiled, when it forms a very palatable dish.

Another member of this family is the squirting cucumber, Momordica Elaterium, which is remarkable for the strange property it has when ripe of throwing its seed contents to a considerable distance on being touched or shaken. As the fruit approaches maturity there is an accumulation of fluid in it till it can contain no more, when, on the least touch or jar, the substance about the stem gives way and the contents are thrown out with force sufficient to carry them several yards, and a report, as of a popgun, that may be heard at a considerable distance. Persons passing near them at such times sometimes suddenly find themselves bespattered from head to foot by the pulpy contents of these vegetable popguns.

In the valley of the Chagres there grow whole forests of the candle tree. From the stems and branches of these depend the long, cylindrical fruits, of a yellow wax color, that so much resemble huge candles, as to have suggested the popular name. The fruit is from two to four feet long and an inch in diameter. The tree grows to the height of twenty-four feet, and blooms all the year round, but most abundantly during the rainy season; but the principal harvest of the fruit is during the long, dry season. The fruit serves as food for cattle, which, when fed on it and some of the native plants, soon grow quite fat. The meat of cattle fed on this fruit has a peculiar, though not disagreeable, apple-like odor.

Ripening its fruit during the dry season, when vegetation is principally dried up, it becomes a very important production for tropical countries, where great scarcity of stock provender is frequently experienced.

The fruit of another species of the same genus to which this belongs, is used by the Mexicans for human food, under the name of Quantiscilate. A tree grows in Australia known as the Bottle tree, from the resemblance of the trunk of the tree in shape to that of a beer bottle.

This tree, Sterculia rupestris, furnishes a sweet, mucilaginous substance, with which the natives refresh themselves. They obtain it by cutting holes in the trees, which cuts decay, forming a rotten place in the tree. Afterwards by tapping them two or three feet below the old cut it affords a plentiful supply.

A tree known as the Rain tree, Pithecellobium Saman, is found in the dryer parts of South America. This tree grows to the height of sixty feet, and its leaves have the peculiar property of condensing the moisture from the atmosphere. So copious is this condensation that a continual shower falls from the leaves and branches until the surrounding soil is converted into a veritable marsh. Places that would otherwise be barren desert are, by this means, covered with the most luxuriant forests. It is said the British government is introducing this tree into India to counteract the aridity of portions of that country.

Queensland furnishes a shrub that would certainly make a very unpleasant neighbor. It is the stinging tree, a very luxurious, pleasing looking shrub, varying in height from two or three inches to ten or fifteen feet. Though pleasing to the eye it is dangerous to the touch, as the pain it produces is maddening. No mark is left, but for months afterwards the place is tender to the touch in rainy weather, or when wet by washing, or other means. It exhales a peculiar, disagreeable odor, that gives notice of its proximity, and enables the experienced and cautious to avoid contact with it. So excruciating is the pain caused by contact with this plant that a man of ordinary fortitude, when stung will roll on the ground in uncontrollable agony. A horse will, after passing through a grove of these trees, rush with open mouth at anyone who dares approach him. A dog under such circumstances will rush around, whining in a piteous manner, biting and tearing the flesh from the parts affected by the sting.

A recent German publication contains a description of a new electric plant that has been christened Phytolacca electrica, which possesses strongly marked electro-magnetic properties. In breaking a twig the hand receives a shock that resembles the sensation produced by an induction coil. Experiments made on this plant with a small compass showed that the compass was affected by it at the distance of about twenty feet. On a nearer approach the needle vibrated and finally began to revolve quite rapidly. The phenomena was repeated in reverse order on receding from the plant. The energy of the influence varied with the time of day - being strongest at about 2 o'clock p. m., and becoming almost nothing during the night. It was also greatly increased in stormy weather; and when it rains the plant seems to wither. It is said that no birds or insects are ever seen on or about this plant. The soil where it grew contained no magnetic metal like iron, cobalt, or nickel, and it is evident the plant itself possessed this electrical property.

A bush, the fruit of which is called Soap berry, is found in great abundance throughout Alaska. The fruit, when ripe, is a small red berry of a juicy and quinine taste, and is generally biennial. If a quart of these berries be placed in a tub capable of holding a bushel, and well stirred, they will form a suds or froth that will completely fill the tub. The more it is stirred with the hand the thicker it becomes, till it can be cut with a knife. A whole family of the natives will gather around the tub and eat this frothy substance with horn or wooden spoons. The taste for it is doubtless an acquired one, but the article is quite popular. The red color of the berries gives a beautiful pink color to the froth. The froth may be made from the green berries, but it is not so highly flavored, and is white in color. Foreigners mix some of the froth with their wine, sweetening with sugar, when it is claimed to be quite a luxury.

The Vallisneria spiralis, a plant that abounds in the rivers of Southern Europe, deserves a mention here on account of the strange action of the flowers at the time of inflorescence. The pistillate or female flower first appears at the surface of the water in which it grows; there it floats as if in expectation of a companion. Soon the staminate or male flowers borne on long spiral stems begin to rise from the bottom, gradually unrolling their long flower stalks till they also reach the surface. They and the female flowers now float towards each other till they meet and touch; this contact results in the fertilization of the ovules, and immediately they begin to sink again beneath the water, there to perfect and ripen their seeds in safety.

The Melon tree - Carica Papaya - a. native of South America, is of interest both for its manner of growth and its usefulness to man. It is a rapidly growing tree, attaining in its fourth year a height of twenty feet; it then enjoys a short maturity and then dies. From its quick growth, broad, umbrella-like shade and rapid decay some have seen in this or some near relative the melon tree of the Prophet Jonah. From the time it attains the height of six feet it produces at all seasons flowers and both green and ripe fruit. The fruit grows around the base of the tree crown as do the nuts of the cocoa palm. When mature it is of a yellow color and has the appearance of belonging to the cucumber family. The fruit grows to a weight of fifteen pounds, is shaped like a melon, and is striped longitudinally like that fruit. Both the green and ripe fruit are used for food; the former as pickles and the latter with salt and pepper or sugar. The seeds have a strong flavor, and are used as a spice. The leaves are used as a substitute for soap, for which it answers the purpose well. They are also used to wrap around tough and stringy meat, which it renders tender and palatable in a short time.

The tree is of easy culture, and is extensively raised in tropical parts of both America and Africa. It requires but little care, and produces ripe fruit before it is a year old.

The Mahwa tree - Bassia latifolia - is a product of the Manghyr district, India, and is much resorted to as a source of food for both man and beast. The part eaten is the succulent corolla of the flowers. These fall from the trees in great abundance during the early spring. This is a season of general feasting among the lower animals as well as man. Birds, squirrels and other small animals crowd to the feast during the day, and near night jungle fowls and peacocks come out and dispute their possession with the deer and the bear. As a wholesome, nutritious food the Mahwa flowers possess superior merit. As an article for feeding stock this seems to excel in cheapness; abundance, the supply being unlimited; certain yield, the supply having never been known to fail; nourishing qualities; and good keeping qualities.

But the list of these interesting vegetable productions grows, and we see no termination, so we may as well take our leave of them at this point and leave a long list to be noticed some other time or - never.