86 



can be conditioned in any way whatever by causation. As this entity is found 

 in any organ, or to speak more correctly, as it is the organ itself, GCETHE'S 

 "einziges Organ" is never a theoretical or hypothetical form, but one really 

 existing. It is a real entity which exists in the form of an organ, be it a 



petal, a sepal or a foliage leaf. 



\ 4. Pie geheime Verwandtschaft der verschiedenen iiuGern Pflanzentheile, ;iK 

 der Blatter, des Kelchs, der Krone, der Staubfaden, welche sicli nacli einander und 

 gleichsain aus einander entwickeln, 1st von den Forschern im Allgemeinen la'ngst 

 erkannt, ja auch besonders bearbeitet worden, und man hat die Wirkung, wodurch ein 

 und dasselbe Organ sich uns mannicbfaltig verk'ndert sehen liiBt, die Metamorphose 

 der Pflanzen genannt." 



Here again, in the words italicized above, eiit- und <lossdl>< Onjan means at any 

 rate a real entity which can be conditioned in any way whatever by the law 

 of causation. All organs are the ein u<l <J"**"1/H (_>,< />/// which can produce 

 any organ. The origin is, therefore, not limited to a single individual ; all 

 organs are origins from which any other organ may be produced. 



GOETHE planted a seed, studied the cotyledons, and came to the conclusion 

 that the latter are not particular organs, but should rather lie regarded as the 

 first leaves on the stem. In the following quotation, he states the unity of 

 foliage leaves and cotyledons*. 



\ 14. Endlich ersclieinen sie (Kotyledonen) uns als \virkliche Blatter, ihre GefaJJe 

 sind der feinsten Ausbildung fa'hig, ihre Ahnlichkeit mit den folgenden Bliittern erlaubt 

 uns nicht sie fiir besondere Organe zu balten, wir erkt-nnen sie vielmelir fiir die erstcu 

 Blatter des Stengels. 



In 22, he refers to the unity of a petiole and leaf - blade*"". Then in 

 28, he comes to flow r ers. 



\ 28. Wir sehen endlich die Blatter in ilirer groBten Ausbreitung und Ausbil- 

 dung, und warden bald darauf eine neue Erscneinung gewabr, welche itns unterrichtet : 

 die bisner beobaclitete Epoclie sei vorbei, es nahe sicb. fine zweite, die Epocbe der 

 Bliitbe. 



If we consider the meaning of the above lines, as it is literally expressed, it 

 seems to imply that foliage leaves change themselves into flower - leaves (i. e. 



* As to the relation between cotyledons and leaves, my readers are requested to refer to 

 GOEBEL'S ' Organographie der Pflanzen ' (1898-1901) pp. 588-605. In my opinion, cotyledons and 

 leaves are similar in their basic characters, but present different manifestations, in agreement 

 with the conditions which follow necessarily through the causal nexus. 

 ** Cf. GOEBEL, K. - Organographie der Pflanzen (1898-1901) pp. 581. 



