Summary In this article the discovery of the Waterberg cycad (Encephalartos eugene-maraisii Verdoorn) is discussed. The role that Eugène N. Marais (1871-1936) had played to introduce this plant to science, confirms the contribution of the informed “amateur” in the community. It also demonstrates that Marais had exceptional observational abilities and was able to realise the value of his observations. Furthermore, it illustrates the continuous tension between functional and scientific writing, in which case one always casts a shadow over the other (or that the reader is constantly aware of one, while he or she is engaged with the other). The so-called Marais myth had been created by both himself and other people, but the story (and oral history) of the discovery of the Waterberg cycad contributes to a rectification of the myth of Marais-the-quack/charlatan/swindler and attest to his knowledgeableness.

中文翻译：

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Eugène N. Marais 和 Waterberg 苏铁 (Encephalartos eugene-maraisii Verdoorn)

总结 本文讨论了 Waterberg 苏铁（Encephalartos eugene-maraisii Verdoorn）的发现。Eugène N. Marais (1871-1936) 在将这种植物引入科学方面发挥的作用，证实了社区中知情“业余爱好者”的贡献。这也表明玛黑区具有非凡的观察能力，能够意识到他观察的价值。此外，它还说明了功能性写作和科学性写作之间的持续张力，在这种情况下，一个人总是给另一个人投下阴影（或者说，当他或她与另一个人接触时，他或她会不断地意识到一个人）。所谓的玛黑神话，是他自​​己和其他人共同创造的，