﻿172 REPRODUCTIVE STRUCTURES. 



fruits. For so large a plant, fifty-three, the total number of fruits, as compared 

 with the large number of mature fruits borne by some of the trunks described in 

 Chapter II, is a very small number. Now, of these fifty-three fruits, only one, or at 

 most two, borne by the central trunk, had reached a considerable size. In the 

 case of the larger of these two more advanced fruits, only the basal portions are 

 preserved, but they indicate an ovulate strobilus about 3.5 cm. in diameter. For- 

 tunately, however, a much more complete fruit of nearly the same age and size as 

 the foregoing is borne by No. 717, a fragment of another C. supcrba trunk of 

 about the same size as one of the branches of the type, and absolutely agreeing 

 in not only its general features, but in minor peculiarities of silicificatiou and pres- 

 ervation. In this supplementary example (shown in figure 68) the receptacle is 

 markedly rounded and not conical as in a fruit of C. dacotensis (?) (cf. fig. 66), 

 otherwise very nearly comparable in size and outer form with both the above fruits 

 of C. supcrba. 



All the remaining fruits of C. supcrba (type) are, as described, inclosed by prom- 

 inent series of bracts forming masses from 3 to 5 cm. in diameter, and must, with 

 the possible exception of a very few — a half dozen at the utmost — have belonged to 

 the same prefloral period. Nor is it wholly sure that the larger fruit (or two) of 

 the middle branch was separated from this main series of fruits by nearly so much 

 as a year's growth. 



Three of the smaller axes of fructification borne by the present beautiful type 

 have been studied in thin, but except in one instance not serial, sections. The first 

 of these three axes is a robust spindle-shaped mass 3.5 cm. in diameter, which was 

 found loose by the writer when he first visited Miunekahta. On his return to New 

 Haven it was found that this fruit belonged to the summit of one of the lateral 

 branches of C. supcrba (type), where, in its original natural position, it forms a 

 prominent object. In the transverse section 412, cut 3 cm. beneath the tips of the 

 bract-hairs, the space occupied by the inclosed and uncrushed young fruit is seen 

 to have a diameter of 1 cm., but no distinct structure can be made out, although a 

 small circular area at the center probably delimits an ovulate cone, and the granu- 

 lar material to be seen just outside it the space occupied by surrounding preflorate 

 young microsporophylls. (See plate xuv, photograph 6.) 



In the case of the second smaller fruit, a section cut transversely several centi- 

 meters beneath the summit of the bracts shows only a mass of bracts and bract 

 hairs, the young spore-bearing parts not yet projecting to the level of the section. 

 In the case of the third fruit, although a rather small one, a series of sections at 

 once brought to light the main structural features. The uppermost transverse sec- 

 tion is cut just at the summit and presents an appearance much like that of the 

 nearly similar section just noted. The lower transverse section (335), as shown in 

 figure 93, II, cuts through a small but typical ovulate cone surrounded by a disk 0/ 

 relatively robust growth, and undoubtedly sta/ui/iale, although only outlines are 

 preserved. One additional young fruit from which no sections were cut is simply 

 ovulate. 



Needless to say, the examination of these few axes must leave unanswered some 

 very interesting questions concerning the character of fructification in this handsomest 



