38 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
.TTumary  8,  1903. 
Dr.  Welwitsch,  and  Welvfitscliia  mirabilis, 
Dr.  Wehvit.'ich  died  on  October  20,  1872,  at  liis  apartments 
in  Fitzroy  Square,  London.  In  opening  life,  a  legal  career  having 
been  marked  out  for  him,  he  was  obliged  to  study  law,  but 
ultimately  forsook  it  to  study  medicine,  for  which  he  had  a 
greater  inclination.  By  so  doing  he  displeased  his  father,  and 
suffered  much  inconvenience  in  consequence  of  the  latter  refusing 
to  supply  him  with  the  money  nece.'^sai’y^  for  the  continuance  of 
his  education.  He  took  a  medical  degree  at  Vienna,  and  for 
some  time  devoted  himself  to  the  practice  of  his  profession.  His 
botanical  propensities,  however,  were  not  to  be  suppressed,  and 
at  length,  throwing  up  medicine,  he  abandoned  himself  to  the 
unrestrained  indulgence  of  them.  Whilst  on  a  visit  to  Portugal 
he  had  the  good  fortune  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  Govern¬ 
ment,  and  was  appointed  their  foreign  botanical  collector.  In 
this  capacity  he  went  to  Angola  in  1853,  where  he  remained 
nine  years,  making  most  laborious  observations  on  the  physical 
geography  and  natural  history  of  that  region,  the  results  of 
which  he  has  given  to  the  world  in  a  number  of  articles  communi¬ 
cated  to  various  scientific  journals,  both  English  and  foreign. 
In  order  to  compare  and  classify  the  numerous  specimens 
which  he  had  collected  during  this  time.  Dr.  Welwitsch  came 
to  England,  where  the  numerous  and  excellent  museums 
afforded  him  better  opportunities  of  so  doing  than  could  be 
obtained  elsewhere.  During  his  stay  in  England  he  rendered 
great  assistance  towards  perfecting  the  work  described  as  the 
'•  Flora  of  Tropical  Africa,”  by  lending  tho.se  specimens  of 
plants  which  he  had  collected  in  that  quarter  of  the  globe. 
These  specimens  of  the  flora  of  the  we.stern  coast  of  Africa  are 
held  to  be  of  great  v'alue,  and  our  readers  will  be  glad  to  hear 
that  England  is  likely  to  possess  two  sets  of  each.  In  course 
of  his  travels  on  the  western  coast  of  Africa  he  di.scovered  a 
gigantic  terrestrial  Orchid  and  a  gigantic  umbelliferous  plant. 
He  was  also  the  first  to  record  the  existence  of  the  unique 
plant  that  bears  his  name,  and  of  which  we  here  append  a 
description. 
It  is  noAv  nearly  forty-nine  years  since  this  extraordinary 
plant  was  first  brought  under  the  notice  of  the  scientific  world. 
Dr.  Welwitsch,  whilst  travelling  through  Southern  Africa  in 
1859,  discovered  it  growing  among  sandj"  tracts  of  land,  exposed 
to  the  most  intense  of  a  tropical  sun,  and  but  rarely  moistened 
by  rain.  As  far  as  is  at  present  known,  its  home  is  in  portions 
of  land  of  this  description  lying  between  the  fourteenth  and 
twenty-third  parallels  of  south  latitude. 
At  first  sight  there  is  but  little  likeness  betAveen  its  external 
appearance  and  that  of  any  other  vegetable  Avith  Avhich  we  are 
at  present  acquainted.  Dr.  Hooker,  however,  after  subjecting 
it  to  close  botanical  examination,  assigned  it  a  position  among 
the  “  Gnetacese,”  the  highest  oixler  of  the  naked-seeded  exogenous 
plants,  such  as  the  Conifers  and  Cycads,  and  some  individuals 
of  Avhich  shoAv  very  close  affinities  to  the  loAvest  forms  of  covered- 
seeded  exogens,  as  the  BeefAvoods  and  BircliAvorts.  The  stock 
or  stem  rarely  rise.s  to  more  than  a  foot  above  the  ground.  It 
i.s  narrow  at  the  bottom,  but  graduall.y  expands  at  the  upper 
part,  as  it  grows  higher  and  older  into  an  irregularly-shaped 
basin,  which  varies  in  diameter  according  to  the  age  of  the  plant. 
Roughl.y  speaking,  its  shape  is  not  unlike  that  of  the  cap  of 
the  Polyporus  sciuamo.sus  fungus,  and  on  the  inside  presents 
an  uneven  Avrinkled  appearance,  caused  by  the  projection  of  the 
concentrically-arranged  la.yers  of  wood.  These,  if  split  open, 
liav'e  a  dull  red  colour  and  granular-looking  texture.  The  leaA'es 
are  nothing  but  tAvo  long  green  strips  attached  to  the  edge  of 
the  dilated  portion  of  the  stem  at  opposite  sides,  and  even 
Avhen  the  plant  has  attained  to  the  age  of  a  hundred  years  do 
not  exceed  6ft  in  length.  Whilst  still  young  they  become 
torn  by  the  heat  and  wind,  and  in  this  tattered  condition, 
draggling  over  the  burning  sand,  nevertheless  continue  to  per¬ 
form  their  functions.  The  cones  are  borne  singly  upon  the 
branches  of  the  two-forked  flower-stalks,  which  are  set  round 
the  edge  of  the  expanded  portion  of  the  main  axis.  They  are 
of  a  bright  red  colour  in  their  natural  state,  and  about  the  size 
of  a  Date.  A  specimen  of  this  intere.sting  plant  can  be  seen  in 
No.  1  museum  at  KeAv. 
Methods  of  Propagation, 
{Continued  from  618,  To/.  ALT.) 
Layers. 
Many  plants  that  cannot  well  be  propagated  by  cuttings 
may  be  by  layering.  This  operation  consists  in  bending  a 
shoot  or  branch  into  the  earth.  It  is  similar  to  a  cutting, 
but  is  only  partially  separated  from  its  parent.  There  are 
many  plants,  however,  that  Avill  readily  emit  roots  without 
this  partial  separation  ;  all  that  is  necessary  being  to  bend 
down  the  shoot  and  peg  it  firmly  in  the  soil.  Examples  are 
found  in  the  common  Laurel  and  Rhododendron.  In  laying, 
all  buds  not  Avanted  to  grow  should  be  removed  from  the 
part  under  the  soil  when  it  is  desired  to  have  a  plant  with 
a  clear  stem.  There  are  several  methods  of  layering,  which 
differ  very  little  one  from  the  other,  such  as  ringing,  notch¬ 
ing,  twisting,  and  tongueing.  The  latter  is  a  very  common 
method,  and  consists  in  cutting  the  shoot  partly  through, 
and  in  an  upwaird  direction.  The  free  portion  is  the  tongue, 
and  in  the  process  of  layering  this  must  be  kept  separated, 
or  the  cut  surfaces  might  unite  again  instead  of  forming 
roots.  Ringing  consists  in  removing  a  ring  of  bark  round 
the  branch.  Notching  is  making  a  transverse  cut  half 
Avay  through  the  branch  just  below  a  node,  and  -with  a 
slanting  cut  upAvard,  taking  out  a  piece  of  Avood. 
Other  methods  of  layering  are  tAvisting,  piercing,,  and 
strangulation.  These,  hoAvever,  are  not  satisfactory,  as  a 
rule.  We  have  also  Avhat  is  sometimes  called  the  Chinese 
method,  and  is  termed  cii’cumposition.  This  consists  in 
layering  branches  that  cannot  be  bent  to  the  ground.  They 
must  be  ringed  or  notched,  in  the  usual  manner.  A  floAver 
pot  Avhich  has  been  broken  or  savvn  in  haWes  should  be 
put  round  the  branch  and 'filled  Avith  soil.  It  is  a  good  plan 
to  put  some  moss  both  in  the  bottom  of  the  pot,  and  also 
leave  room  for  more  at  the  top  ;  this  will  help  to  hold  the 
moisture.  It  Avill  be  necessary  to  make  the  pot  firm  to  a 
stake  or  other  support.  Codiseums  and  Dracaenas  are  some¬ 
times  propagated  in  this  Avay.  A  feAv  years  since  I  had 
rather  an  interesting  experience  AAuth  this  method  of  propa¬ 
gation.  The  plant  operated  upon  Avas  a  tall  specimen  of  the 
Loquat  or  Japanese  Medlar  (Photinia  japonica).  Several 
pots  Avere  put  round  the  branches  in  the  usual  Avay,  being 
secured  to  a  narroAv  board,  Avhich  had  been  previously 
secured  to  tAvo  pillars.  The  branches  Avere  deeply  notched 
Welwitschia  mirabilis. 
