On the Welwitschia Mirabilis. 427 



protect the young growing part of the leaf from the dry 

 atmosphere ." 



We must now refer to the leaves themselves, which, like 

 all other parts of the plant, whether taken in detail or on the 

 whole, are very extraordinary. Each plant has two leaves 

 only, corresponding in width to the lobes of the crown, and 

 running out right and left to the enormous length of six feet, 

 and one-twentieth of an inch in thickness. Their normal state 

 is entire, though they are seldom, if ever, seen in that state, as 

 they soon become split to the base into strips or thongs. 

 They lie flat upon the ground, are of a leathery nature, and of 

 a bright green colour, with almost imperceptible parallel veins. 

 The stomata, or breathing cells, are placed in parallel lines, 

 both on the upper and under sides of the leaves, which are 

 described as being persistent during the whole life of the 

 plant, said to be a hundred years. If this be so, which there 

 is no reason to doubt, it is another instance of dissimilarity to 

 most of the other members of the vegetable kingdom ; for we 

 know that the first, or cotyledonary, leaves in most plants drop 

 off as soon as the second leaves are produced. Though none 

 of the specimens brought to this country, or any of those seen 

 by Dr. Welwitsch or Mr. Monteiro, had more than two leaves, 

 Dr. Hooker says, "There is no reason why more than this 

 number should not be developed, for the embryo may occa- 

 sionally be tri or polycotyledonous, as is the case with so many 

 other gymnosperms, including its near ally Ephedra." 



We come next to speak of the fruit or cones, which, perhaps, 

 is the only part of the plant having any general resemblance 

 to the Coniferte. The inflorescence is borne upon dichotomously 

 branched cymes, which spring from the small pits or scars 

 before spoken of upon the crown of the plant, close to the 

 point of insertion of the leaves, and even occasionally below 

 them. The cones, when fully grown, are about two inches long, 

 distinctly four- sided, the sides slightly convex, and of a bright 

 red colour. The seeds, which are contained one in each scale, 

 are surrounded by a broad, light-coloured, transparent wing. 



The Welwitschia is dioecious — 'that is, having its male and 

 female flowers on separate plants. Dr. Hooker says, " I find 

 no female cones on the same plants with the male, nor any 

 female flowers in the hermaphrodite cones ; but there are in 

 the cymes of both sexes many imperfect cones in the axils of 

 the permanent bracts." It is highly probable that the 

 fertilization of the female flowers is effected by insects, as it 

 appears " that a pollen-feeding group of Coleoptera, the 

 Cetonige, abound in the regions inhabited by Welwitschia.'" 



The season of the flowering and fruiting of the plant has 

 not been accurately determined, inasmuch as L it was found in 



