24 DR. M. T. MASTERS ON THE 
. Taxopium. 
The establishment of this genus dates from the time of L. C. 
Richard (1810). Previous to that time the species were included 
under Cupressus. The deciduous foliage, very numerous panicled 
male flowers, and the spirally arranged cone-scales amply suffice 
to distinguish it. The anther-lobes are globose. The female 
cones are globular or oblong, the bracts nearly entirely con- 
crescent with the thick coriaceous peltate scales, the stalk-like 
base of which springs at right angles from the axis of the cone. 
The lobulate extremity of the scale projects beyond the apex of 
the bract. The erect seeds are two to each scale, triangular, 
with very narrow wings at the angles. The leaves are heterotaxic 
—being sometimes distichous, at other times tristichous on the 
same branch, and varying also in size and form. 
The roots are remarkable for the curious woody projections 
which they throw up; the nature and the purpose of these 
formations are still matters of controversy. 
The hypocoty] has a thick cellular cortex traversed, just out- 
side the pericycle, by a ring of air-passages of large diameter. 
The woody bundle has, on section, the shape of a 7-pointed 
star with pith in the centre surrounded by seven masses of xylem, 
outside of which is a thin layer of phloem-cells. No resin-canals 
are visible. 
The cotyledons are three-sided, with the midrib prominent 
above. There is no hypoderm and no palisade, and the xylem 
and phloem form one undivided mass surrounded by an imper 
fectly-developed endoderm. 
The species are natives of the Southern States of North 
America and of Mexico. In the Miocene period they spread over 
Central Europe, Spitzbergen, and Greenland. 
Tribus III. ARAUCARINEZ. 
(Araucariex, Benth. et Hook.) 
Anthere loculi plerumque penduli liberi. Strobili squame spiraliter 
disposite specie simplices, bracteze videlicet valde evolute, squame ovuli- 
feree autem imperfecte contexte extus inconspicue. Semina libera vel 
cum squamis concrescentia pendula. 
Monoica. . 
Semina 3 pendula libera ...... corer cee 
16. CUNNINGHAMIA. 
Semina solitaria libera 
Lecce eee eeeeees 17. AGATHIS, 
