Joseph Hooker was one of the most prominent botanists of Darwin's day. His exploits and travels are the stuff of adventures. So hang on to your pocket books and credit cards because this new book about Hooker is going to be hard to resist, and since it is actually quite reasonable in price, why not indulge a bit in some botanical history. Hooker probably named more plants than anyone since Linnaeus. So here's the link if you're interested. And dang the Phactor loves that hat, rakish angle and all. Yes, botanists are dashing sorts, especially in the field. And do you recognize the plant that is being illustrated? If so, what sex is it and where was it growing (country)? _(cropped).jpg)
3 weeks ago in Genomics, Medicine, and Pseudoscience
8 comments:
Welwitschia mirabilis, female, Namib desert within Namibia, and per Wikipedia Angola as well. Someday I'd like to try growing one.
Which hat are you fancying?
I go for current day Angola.
Hooker´s type specimen is from near Cabo Negro on the Angolan coast. But the colony (Portuguese) was only formally delimited in 1885... so was it really Angola when Hooker was there?
boa sorte,
BrianO
Thomas said, "Which hat are you fancying?"
Both are pretty cool.
Thomas nailed the plant and its sex; most discriminating. But BrianO has the right idea about the location, but it wasn't Angola then, or even Portuguese West Africa (which is what the Phactor thought), but Benguela (double ll on some maps), which is quite close to the border with Namibia.
FYI - Welwitschia mirabilis, the only species, is a strange, no, very strange plant, one of three genera in the Gnetales (knee-tay-leez), gymnosperms. So they have cones, pollen and seed, on separate plants, but the pollen cones are much smaller and are more numerous. Each plant only produces two pairs of leaves, its cotyledons and one pair of strap-like true leaves, which grow from their base and die at their tips. With great age and because of the parallel veins, the leaves spit lengthwise into narrower straps. And they are only found in coastal areas of the Namib desert. And ever so strangely the 1st one the Phactor ever saw was in Berlin. The seeds germinate readily enough, but they are quite finicky about soil and water. Our glasshouse manager suggests growing them in a deep pot (thing drain tile) filled with sort of a cactus soil with a lot of aquarium coral mixed in.
Another gnetophyte, Gnetum, was featured awhile back.
Hi,
I am changing my mind on the picture. I can find no evidence online that Hooker went anywhere near Angola (or Namibia). Welwitsch certainly discovered and collected the species in Angola. I am getting the impression that he sent or brought the specimen to Hooker in London (where Welwitsch spent the rest of his life after returning from "Angola"). So perhaps the picture is of Welwitsch or merely an artists impression of Hooker studying the plant?
Dearest Phactor...perhaps you could resolve this ....if you have access to Hooker´s original paper ?
Or do I have to persuade herself that I must buy this book ?
boa sorte
BrianO
Sorted !
See:
http://images.kew.org/the_welwitschia_mirabilis/print/654506.html
The picture is by Thomas Baines who independently discovered the plant in Namibia. He is also the person in the picture. So thomas was right...plant growing in "Namibia"...so I do not have to buy the book..
boa noite,
BrianO
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