The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1886-07-17
The Table Tree of Western Africa.


About 200 miles north from the Cape
of Good Hope, on the western side of Af-
rica, there is an extensive district of sterile
country, extending northward to the Por
tugese settlement of Bengucla. These re-
gions are almost, if not altogether, rainless.
Heavy dews fall at night, and supply the
little moisture required for the scanty veg
citation, which consists of few plants es-
pecially fitted by their organization to en-
dure the continuous rays of the tropical
sun. These plants, from the thickness of
the skin which covers their leaves, and the
structure of their stomates, are able 20 re-
tain the little moisture they require for the
necessities of their life.
Among the few plants scattered over
these arid, sandy plains is one which is
properly called Mirabilis, as it is one of the
most wonderful plants anywhere to be found
on the surface of the earth. 1t was dis
covered in the year 1869 by the eminent
scientific traveller, DIR. Welwitsch, whose
name has been associated with it by DIR.
Hooker, in commemoration of his success
full botanical explorations in Central Africa.
The Welwitschia is a tree which lives for
many years, some specimens being estimated
by their discoverer as at least 100 years
old, and which every year of its life in
creases in size, yet never grows higher.
Rising just above the ground, this strange
plant, looking like rough, roundish table,
regularly enla1gas by adding concentric
layers to its circumference.
The fiat upper surface of the trunk is
very hard and dark, resembling in color
and texture the crust of an over-baked loaf.
In shape it is somewhat compressed disk
with more or less deep groove through
the centre of its longest diameter, dividing
it into two lobes. Each new ridge or con-
centric layer supports a large number of
fruits in the form of beautifully regular and
bright scarlet cones, somewhat resembling
the fruits of the fir tree of our forest, to
which the Welwitschia, though so different
in aspect, has close affinity. Sometimes,
in old plants, the margins of the lobes are
much split. The trunk attains size of
from fourteen to eighteen feet in circum-
/ ference, but is never more than a few inches
above the ground, and gradually tapers
downward, forming large top-root, pene-
trating several feet into the ground. When
Young plant springs from the seed it sends
up two small green leaves, resembling the
seed leaves of the oak or beech. Instead
ef falling off, as do the leaves of most other
plants, they are retained. 1t never loses
these first leaves, and never gets any more.
The plant is really an infant tree, attaining
the age of 100 years, yet never getting rid
of its early imperfect condition. The leaves
rise from two deep grooves in the margin
of the trunk, one springing from each lobe.
They increase in size from year to year with
the growth of the plant, until they attain
length of six feet or more. They are
quite fiat, leathery, long, and frequently
split into numerous straps, that lie curling
upon the surface of the barren soil. A less
inviting landscape can scarcely beimagined
than the Sandy desert, sparsely covered
with short, dry grass, and scattered speci-
mems of this extraordinary plant, looking
more like the remains of some forest cleared
by the settler than collection of living,
growing plants. When covered with its
bright scarlet cones, it relieves somewhat
the monotony of the scene. With all its
peculiarities, and, indeed, chiefly because
of them, the Welwitschia is singularly
adapted to the physical conditions under
which it lives.