Nature and Art, August 1, 1866.] 
THE WELWITSCHIA MIRABILIS. 
73 
differing from all previously known gymnosperms 
in having hermaphrodite flowers, and in wanting 
the disk-bearing wood-cells. Notwithstanding these 
peculiarities, Dr. Hooker places it the Nat. Ord. 
Gnetacece , of which it is the only South African 
representative.” 
Of course this plant, common as it is in its own 
limited localities, must have been seen long ago by 
many persons. The only wonder is that no one 
had previoxxsly sent it home. 
Mr. Chapman took stereoscopic views both of it 
and the great tree-aloe. As we did not effect a 
junction till far beyond the boundaries of Damara 
Land, neither of us knew what was being done by 
the other. In 1863 he sent, and in 1864 conveyed 
personally, specimens to the Cape ; and, in reference 
to these, received from the Rev. J. C. Brown, 
LL.D., the Colonial Botanist, a highly compli- 
mentary letter, which has since been published, 
and from which I take the liberty of making a few 
extracts : — 
“ Wynberg, lD/i November, 1864. 
“James Chapman, Esq. 
“ My dear Sir, — I rejoice to find that you have 
brought down from the interior another specimen 
of the Tumboa or Welwitschia mirabilis ; and I 
feel obliged to our mutual friend, Mr. Layard, for 
bringing it under my attention. Before I left 
England I found the interest awakened by the 
descriptions given of this plant to be very great. . . 
. . The plant was found by Dr. Welwitsch, whose 
name it bears, in 1860; but I am informed by a 
gentleman in this neighbourhood, that, long befox - e 
1860, he had seen these plants in Damara Land, and, 
in one of his journeys, endeavoured to uproot some 
specimens for a near relation in the colony, a lady 
taking an interest in the cultivation of rare plants ; 
but he never imagined, he. says, that plants so 
abxxndant as these coxxhl be xxxxknowxx to xxxen of 
sciexxce : axxd thus xxxay it be with xxxany travellers 
iix regard to plants which, from their abundance, 
have ceased to interest them, bixt of which botaxxists 
know nothixxg. About the time of either Dr. 
Welwitsch first writing of the plant to Sir Wm. 
Hooker, or of Mr. Barnes forwarding to him his 
drawings, a specimexx was bx’cxxght to Cape Towxx 
by Mr. Wollastoxx, and givexx to his friend, Mr. 
M‘Gibbon, the Sxxperixxtendexxt of the Botanic 
Garden. It was dead ; probably, in conseqxxence of 
the xxxeans which had to be adopted to transport it 
to Cape Towxx; axxd it consisted, I am told, oxxly 
of oxxe half of the plant, with dxy withered remains 
of the leaf attached. This was sexxt to England ixx 
the beginxxixxg of 1863, aixd must have beexx obtained 
xxot later thaxx 1861 ; axxd I have testimony that it 
was pondered over agaixx axxd agaixx by, at least, 
one of the Comxnissioners of the Garden, who has 
spent much time, labour, thought, axxd ixxoney, oxx 
the Soxxth Afx'icaxx flox’a. In 1862, Joachixxx 
Moxxteiro, Esq., of Loaxxdo, collected soxxxe plaxxts 
at Mossamedes or Little Fish Bay, and these he 
sent to Kew. In the same year specimens wex’e 
sexxt by Mr. Andersson. Last year, 1863, a living 
specixxxen sent by yoxx to Mr. Rawson, then Colonial 
Secx’etaxy at the Cape, was forwarded to England, 
and now yoxx have brought with you another 
living specimen. 
“ Dr. Hooker describes it as a woody plant, 
said to attain a cexxtxxxy ixx duration, presexxtixxg the 
appeax’ance of a flat, two-lobed, depx’essed mass ; 
soxnetinxes, according to Dr. Welwitsch, attaining 
fourteen feet in circumferexxce, axxd lookixxg like a 
round table. 
“ Soxxxe of the specixnens seen by yoxx seem to 
have been of a corresponding magnitude, their 
weight beixxg estimated by the hxxndredweight, and 
a hogshead being spoken of as necessary for their 
conveyance. 
“ Let axxy one look at that yoxx have brought, 
axxd imagine what sxxclx gigaxxtic specimens xxxxxst 
be. This looks like two imxxxense clam-shells, ox- 
two lobes of an immense bean, measuring sonxe 18 
inches acx'oss, pax-tially opexxed with the inter- 
mediate space so filled that, when viewed edge- 
ways, it presents axx elongated heart-shape, being less 
deeply sitxxated iix the gx-ouxxd than Dr. Hooker - 
describes, appearing somewhat wedge-like, axxd 
lxavixxg roxxxxded edges forming the sides of a 
depression rxxxxxxixxg aloxxg its upper sxirface ixx its 
longitudinal direction. This depression, axxd a con- 
siderable portion of its upper surface roxxnd the 
extremity of the depression, is covered with solid 
circular ridges aboxxt half an inch ixx diameter, the 
nature of which xxxay be coxxjectux'ed and described, 
but does not at first appear. 
“ Ixx the specixxxen brought by you, the place 
where the leaves proceeded is like a cx-aclt or rexxt, 
sxxclx as would appear if two layers of a monstrous 
clam shell had separated to allow the protrusion of 
the leaves. These rents close ixx xxxoist weathex-, 
axxd open ixx dry, when the ixxterior sxxrface presents 
the whitish appearance seexx betweexx the leaves of 
soxxxe species of the blood-flower (H amianthus), 
and the candelabra flower ( Brunsvigia ) ; and it is 
so suggestive of a bulb-like strxxctxxre, that I do xxot 
wonder that this portion of the plant is gexxerally 
spokexx of as a bxxlb. 
“Dr. Welwitsch states these leaves are never 
renewed or replaced. To this also, should yoxx 
revisit the coxxxxtxy, may I ask yoxx to give your 
attexxtioxx, as the fact lxxay be ixxdicative of xxxxxch 
besides. Froixx your observatioxx of the leaves beixxg 
xxxore withered at one seasoxx thaxx another, there 
seems to be, at times, a fresh vigoroxxs growth at 
theix> base. 
“ I axxx glad that yoxx sent, soxxxe time since, 
a sxxxall case of these cones to Kew, as parties 
ixx England and elsewliei'e may be desix-oxxs of 
examixxixxg them. 
“ I have used throxxglxoxxt the designation, 
Tumboa. Dr. Hooker says, the native xxame, 
Txxmbo, was givexx both by Dr. Welwitsch and 
Mr. Baixxes ; bixt to the bunch of coxxes Mr. Baixxes 
has writtexx, called by the Hotentots, ‘ Ghories ;’ 
and by the Damaras, ‘ Nyaxxka Kykamkop. 
“ Dr. Bleek coxxfxrms the ixxtex’px-etation yoxx 
have givexx of the latter xxaxxxe, the bulb or plant of 
