THE ORIGIN OF GYMNOSPERMS 229 



bearing plant. There is also some evidence which appears to 

 relate to the male organs 1 of this genus, but it is not entirely 

 satisfactory, and so need not be discussed here. 



Of the three great British genera of Cycadofilices, two are 

 known now to be seed-bearers. The third, Hctcrangium? 

 perhaps the most interesting of all in this connection on 

 account of its still closer relationship to the Ferns, remains for 

 the future. Should it eventually be found to have also attained 

 to the seed-bearing status, the case will be even more complete. 



It is obvious that some new name is necessary to denote 

 this group. Prof. Oliver and Dr. Scott, 3 recognising in 1903 

 that Lyginodendron would not be found eventually to stand 

 alone among the Cycadofilices as a seed plant, proposed the 

 name Pteridospermece for this race, " embracing those Palaeozoic 

 plants with the habit and much of the internal organisation 

 of Ferns, which were reproduced by means of seeds." This 

 suggestion has already met with wide acceptance. 



At present, and for some time to come, these discoveries 

 will stand as the greatest contribution of the British School 

 of Palseobotany. Their wide-reaching importance has been 

 quickly realised, and special accounts of this progress have 

 already been published in France, 4 Germany, 5 Austria, 6 Sweden, 7 

 and the United States. 8 



More recently, valuable contributions on the same subject 

 have been made both in the United States and in France. 

 These further discoveries concern genera in which the internal 

 structure is at present unknown, and which therefore have 

 not been so far recognised as synthetic types. They are, 

 however, all plants possessing the fern-like habit of foliage, 

 and thus would seem to fall within the limits of the Pterido- 

 spermeae, now that they have proved to be seed-plants. 



In 1904 Mr. David White 9 announced the discovery of 



1 Kidston, 1903. 



2 For a general account of the structure of the Cycadofilices, see Scott, 1900, 

 chapters x. and xi. 



3 Oliver and Scott, 1904, p. 239. 



4 Zeiller, 1904, 1905. 



5 Oliver, 1905. 



6 Scott, 1906. 



7 Nathorst, 1906. 



8 Berry, 1904', 1904 2 ; Coulter, 1904; Ward, 1904; White, 1904-'. 



9 White, 1904 1 . 



