Dr. A. Braun on the Vegetable Individual. 363 



XXXI. — The Vegetable Individual, in its relation to Species. By 

 Dr. Alexander Braun, Professor of Botany in the Univer- 

 sity of Berlin, &c.* Translated by Chas. Francis Stone, B.A. 



[Concluded from vol. xvi. p. 354.] 



While thus, on the one hand, all the facts seem to unite in 

 establishing the individual nature of the shoot, on comparing 

 shoots in their qualitative relations, phsenomena are brought to 

 view which seem to contradict such a view of its individuality. 

 The higher departments of the animal kingdom usually present 

 as individuals, representatives of the specific type agreeing in all 

 essential respects, though, perhaps, not perfectly identical. The 

 fact of the separation of the sexes was all that modified this 

 view ; and here, indeed, the essence of the species does seem 

 to be divided between two different individuals. Attempts have 

 not been wanting to obviate this contradiction by the Platonic 

 doctrine of the original unity of the sexes, by the assertion of 

 Paracelsus t ; that, in fact, the two together must be regarded as 

 the one real individual — and such like. 



This contradiction to the usual view of what constitutes the 

 individual is shown in a far higher degree by qualitative compa- 

 risons of vegetable shoots, not merely of the same species, but 

 also of the same stock. Thus we see, e. g. in Equisetum arvense 

 (Field Horsetail), shoots totally different in aspect proceeding 

 from the same root-stock ; in early spring they are pale, disco- 

 loured, unbranched, terminating with a strobilaceous-like fruc- 

 tification ; later, green and foliaceous ones appear, verticillately 

 ramified. Investigations into subterranean vegetation show even 

 other varieties of shoot-formation, viz. offsets dwindhng down to 

 a point, and club-shaped buds which, at a later period, drop off 

 of themselves. The Colt's-foot [Tussilago Far far a) presents 

 similar phsenomena, in early spring putting forth leafless shoots, 

 with asparagus-like scales terminating with yellow capitula, 

 which in summer are followed by others bearing leaves. The 

 flowers in the little capitula of the first present a third variety 

 of shoots in their lateral branchlets. Even in common life we 

 distinguish leaf-buds from flower-buds, on many trees. Let us 

 consider this relation in the Cherry-tree, for example. On the 

 same branch we find, on the one hand, buds which develope into 

 branches bearing leaves, without producing flowers ; on the other 

 hand, some bearing only little squamate leaves on the shortened 



* Reprinted from Silliraau's American Journal for January 1856. 



t " For this ye must know : man without woman is not a whole ; onl)^ 

 with woman is he a whole. That is as much as to say : both together make 

 man, and neither alone." 



