106 
F. 0. BOWER. 
in the seedling of Wei witschia. In all the specimens which 
I have examined, the following succession of members has been 
observed : (1) two cotyledons, which are present in the mature 
embryo ; (2) two plumular leaves decussating with the coty- 
ledons, and capable of unlimited basal intercalary growth ; (3) 
two structures, which appear between the plumular leaves, and 
which I regard as buds in the axils of the cotyledons ; these 
together form at least the great bulk of the crown ; (4) the 
apical cone of the main axis, which remains rudimentary, and 
bears no further appendicular organs. In all the plants at 
Kew which have lived long enough, the cotyledons, after their 
expansion during the early stages of germination, remain for a 
considerable time persistent, without further increase in size 
beyond a limit attained at an early period. Later they dry up, 
and wither, leaving behind them dried tatters of tissue, like 
those represented in ‘ Quart. Journ. Micr. Sci./ 1881, pi. iii, 
fig. 10. There are now living in Kew three plants of the 
original set sown in August, 1880. Each of them has lost its 
cotyledons in this way, but retains the ragged remnants of 
them. The plumular leaves of these plants have grown to a 
very considerable size, but are subject to progressive dis- 
organisation of their tips, so that their present length (about 
3 to 6 inches) does not represent the whole extent of their 
previous growth. The two lobes of the crown (axillary buds) 
have also grown to a considerable size, and have assumed the 
appearance represented in ‘Quart. Journ. Micr. Sci.,’ 1881, 
pi. xxxii, fig. 3. 
Since all the plants germinated at Kew have developed in 
the same way, and since the plant described by M. Naudin was 
not aWelwitschia at all, the suggestion as to an alternative 
mode of development is now entirely unnecessary, and may be 
withdrawn. Such a suggestion would never have been made, 
had not the observations communicated to the ‘ Gardener’s 
Chronicle ’ been contributed by a botanist of such standing as 
M. Naudin. It may be now concluded that there is but one 
type of development of Welwitschia mirabilis, and that 
the type described by me from the plants grown at Kew. 
