18 DR. M. T. MASTERS ON THE 
in alternating ternary whorls ; the flowers are diccious, the males 
at the extremities of the branches, and the broadly crested 
anthers 2-4-celled. Pollen-cells globose. Female cones solitary 
at the end of the branches. Leaves passing abruptly into the 
scales of the cones, which latter are decussate or verticillate, 
the uppermost alone fertile with 2-3, erect, 2-winged ovules 
to each scale, The complex nature of the fruit-scale is indicated 
by the sharp point which projects from the back of each scale 
near the top. Occupying the centre of the cone are two or three 
oblong obtuse processes similar to those which occur in Actino- 
strobus, which appear to originate from the central axis, but 
their precise morphological nature is at present unknown. 
CUPRESSUS. 
This genus was taken up by Linnzus in his ‘ Genera Plantarum’ 
(1737), n. 1079, from Tournefort (1700). The French botanist 
in his turn had adopted it from the older writers. The word is 
mentioned by Pliny, Cato, and other classical authors. The 
typical species is that now known as C. sempervirens, around 
which others have been grouped, but in different manners, by 
different writers. Thus some plants which may fitly be referred 
to this genus have been placed under Thuya, Thuyopsis, Platy- 
cladus, and Chamecyparis. 
As here understood, it comprises trees with polymorphic 
foliage and monecious flowers. The male flowers are at the end 
of the branches, the anther-scales pointed, pollen simple. The 
female flowers are solitary at the ends of short branches, rarely 
in groups, and ripening in the second year of their formation. 
The cone-scales show but slight traces externally of their com- 
posite nature, indeed Sachs says there is no seminiferous scale. 
Its presence may, however, readily be detected on microscopical 
examination. The seed-scales are arranged in decussate or 
verticillate whorls, each scale being dilated at the apex into a 
club-shaped expansion, flattened at the top, and with a short 
central mucro. The cones require two years to ripen (except 
those of the section Chamecyparis) ; they are globular or oblong, 
the central scales alone fertile and bearing two or many seeds. 
Seeds winged on both sides. 
Chamecyparis differs in its two-ranked branchlets mostly in 
one horizontal plane, in the presence of a small number of seeds, 
