738 TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION K. 



meaning by a good example. The Succulent House is generally conceded to form 

 one of the most interesting and stimulating exhibits to be seen at Kew — not so much 

 from the weird and grotesque forms assumed by the individual plants, but chiefly 

 because here you have assembled together plants of the most varied affinity having 

 the common bond of similar adaptations to a like type of environment. The 

 principles that underlie the arrangement of the best sort of museum may be applied 

 with advantage in the case of a garden, and with tenfold eB'ect ; for is not a live 

 dandelion better than a dead Welwitschia ? This feature, introduced as it would 

 be with moderation and discretion, should immensely enhance the value of the 

 Gardens both to the student and general visitor. 



But to return from this digression : on the wliole the time seems ripe for the new 

 departure. Fresh lines are opening up in systematic botany that call for special pro- 

 vision. Now it was evident from the circumstances of the botanical renaissance 

 twenty-five years ago that when it acquired strength some readjustment between 

 the old and the new would have to be made. The thing was inevitable. The 

 administrative acts of recent years all point in the same direction. The founding 

 of the Jodrell Laboratory, the enhanced efficiency of the gardens, the great exten- 

 sion of the herbarium building, all help to pave the way. But more is wanted. 

 Reference has been made to the advantages that would attend the migration from 

 the Natural History Museum. But it is most important of all to devise a mechanism 

 for securing a flow of recruits to carry on the work. This would follow in the wake 

 of a rapprochement with the schools on the lines already sketched out. Diffi- 

 culties, no doubt, will be encountered in the initial stages of a reorganisation, but 

 these are inseparable from our bureaucratic system. A very hopeful sign is the 

 readiness which the Government has shown in instituting inquiries in the past. 

 That nothing has come of them may be attributed primarily to the attitude of 

 botanists themselves. If they can unite on any common policy, there should be 

 no serious delay in giving it efiect. 



The following Papers and Reports were read : — ■ 



1. Some SoiUh African Cycads : their Habitats, Habits, and Associates. 

 By Professor H. H. W. Pearson. 



The cycads of extra-tropical South Africa are confined to, and constitute 

 a characteristic feature of, the floristic division known as the ' Soutjj- Eastern 

 Coast Region.' It is bounded on the west by the Van Staden's Berg, situated 

 a little west of Port Elizabeth. From this point the region follows the coast-line 

 to the tropics ; its inland boundary coincides more or less with the 3,500 feet 

 contour-line on the southern and eastern slopes of the Stormberg-Drakensberg range, 

 which here forms the edge of the Central African plateau. 



The species referred to in the paper occur along the railway connecting 

 Storraberg (5,300 feet) with the coast at East London, a line situated some 

 60-80 miles to the east of Van Staden's Bay, the western boundary of the cycad 

 area. Encephalartos cycadifolius is found among the boulders of the kopjes and 

 ridges which dominate the country. In all cases its habitat is such as to demand 

 a high degree of adaptation to xerophilous conditions. The trunk branches freely 

 from the subterranean portion ; an isolated unbranched trunk is rarely seen. The 

 plant attains a height of 12-15 feet and then gradually falls over to a recumbent 

 or prostrate position. The cones, which are borne in whorls of 4-6, are thickly 

 clothed with a very dense tawny wool. It is hoped to continue observations 

 during the present year with a view to determining the point which normally 

 elapses between successive conings and to investigate the influence of external 

 conditions upon the production of cones and seeds. This species is probably 

 exposed to a greater range of temperature than any other South African cycad. 

 An account is given of the vegetation in association with Encejjhalartos cycadifolius 

 and other cycads. 



Encephalartos Altensteinii flourishes in sunny situations in the more open bush 



