









304 DR. M. T. MASTERS ON THE MORPHOLOGY, 



spirally, not in verticils as in Cupressineae. The bracts are in 

 continuous spiral sequence with the leaves. The fruit-scales of 

 Cryptomeria are closely united for three fourths of their length 

 with the bract, and are dilated at the end into a roundish, cre- 

 nately-lobed extremity projecting beyond the bract as in Chama- 

 cyparis among Cupressineae. It is noteworthy, that while in the 

 male flowers of Cryptomeria the transition between the leaves 

 and the stamens is abrupt, in the females it is gradual and with 

 some of the phyllomes imperfect or intermediate in character 

 between true leaves and perfect stamens. 



In Taxodium, Sequoia, and Athrotaxis * the construction.of the 

 female flower is essentially the same as in Cryptomeria, traces of 

 the bract being sometimes quite obliterated in the ripe cone, e. g. 

 Sequoia sempervirens. 



* 



The Araucarieae are scarcely separable from the Taxodie© 

 except in the position of the ovule, inverted in Araucariese, erect 

 in Taxodieae. Eichler, in Engler's ' Die natiirlichen Familien/ 

 has, by oversight, included the genus Cunninghamia among the 

 last-mentioned series, but by reason of its inverted ovules it be- 

 longs to the Araucarieae. 



In the genus Cunninghamia the bracts are arranged spirally, 

 being continuous with the leaves ; the seed-scale is relatively 

 small and concealed by the bract. In most Conifers the seed- 

 scales form the most conspicuous part, but in Cunninghamia 

 the bracts form by far the largest proportion of the cone. 

 An examination of the inner surface of the bract in the ripe 

 cone shows the upper free portion of the seed-scale in the form 

 of a thin membranous crest projecting a short distance above 

 the inverted ovules, fig. 18, 8. 



In an imperfectly developed and unfertilized cone the following 

 appearances were presented : — The lowest bracts were quite like 

 the leaves, but thickened at the base (fig. 18, 1 and 2). Next 

 above these were bracts bearing a small cellular outgrowt of a 

 reddish colour just above the short stalk of the bract. Succeeding 

 scales (fig. 18, 3, 4, 5) had 2-5 similar cushion-like processes, 

 which, as has been said, are purely cellular. It is difficult to be 















tab. 12. fig. 14. 



cit. tab. 13. 



to that of Echinostrobus from 

 Renault, Cours de Bot Fos*. 

 nrftRftiitpfl in the Miocene, loc. 



















■ 

 I 









* 







. 



