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FUETHEE OBSERVATIONS ON MIMICEY AMONG 



PLANTS. 



By E. Marloth, M.A., Ph.D. 



(Eead May 31, 1905.) 



It will be remembered that a short time ago I read some notes 

 before this Society referring to the rarely observed phenomenon 

 of mimicry among plants. I took special care to point out that 

 I looked upon many so-called cases of mimicry as mere speculation, 

 but that on the other hand some instances which had come under 

 my notice in the course of years appeared to be true mimicry. The 

 word as used by me means that these plants are so well adapted 

 to their surroundings that they escape the notice of herbivorous 

 animals, especially of those feeding at night time. The most 

 remarkable plant of this kind mentioned was Mesembryanthemum 

 Bolusii Hook. 



Travelling recently in the karroo I discovered another very 

 striking example of such protective adaptation, which is specially 

 interesting as the plant in question is not a near relative of those 

 mentioned beforehand, but a species of Crassula. 



Its specific name is Crassula columnaris, which indicates very 

 well the shape of the plant as one sees it in cultivation, but is quite 

 misleading with regard to the plant in its natural habitat, for there 

 the plant is spherical. In shape and colour it is so similar to the 

 brown pebbles among which it grows that one has much difficulty 

 in detecting it. As an illustration of this I may be allowed to 

 mention the following experience. 



I had brought a dozen of these plants with some soil and pebbles 

 with me to town, and having planted them in a box not larger than 

 my hand, I sometimes asked visitors to my karroo plantations to 

 count the specimens of koesnaartjes (that is their native name) 

 in the little box. So far not one of my visitors has given me the 

 total number at the first attempt. 



