JERNSTEDT, JUDY. Agronomy and Range Science, University of California, Davis, CA 95616. - With apologies to Euell Gibbons: Stalking the wild Welwitschia.
One of the many professional attractions for me of a career in plant
biology is the opportunity to meet and work with interesting
colleagues, often in fascinating locations. A convergence of
circumstances, beginning with my postdoctoral tenure at Manchester
University and culminating with the XVI International Botanical
Congress in St. Louis, took a colleague and me to southern Africa last
year. One of the top two objectives of the trip was to see
Welwitschia mirabilis in its native habitat. I wanted to add
Welwitschia to my botanical "life list," which
already included the Rhynie chert, Linnaeus' garden, Sequoiadendron
giganteum, the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, and Stigmaria,
among other things. Through the wonders of e-mail, global positioning
system (GPS) coordinates, and 4-wheel drive vehicles, our mission was
accomplished, with the added bonus of finding and adding to the known
populations of Welwitschia with extra foliage leaves.
Key words: morphology, Namib Desert, Welwitschia mirabilis