340 



XXII. — On the Structure and Affinities of the Plants hitherto 

 known as Sternhergice. By "W. C. Williamson, Pro- 

 fessor of Natural History in Owens College, Manchester. 



Eead September 25, 185L 



If we except a vague representation, given by Count Stern- 

 berg, the first published notice of the plants now known as 

 Sternhergice appeared in the Antediluvian Phytology of 

 Artis,* who assigned to some English forms the name of 

 Sternbergia approximata. They were subsequently exa- 

 mined by M. Brongniart, and included in his Prodrome ;'\ 

 but at that early period this distinguished writer had not 

 enjoyed the more extended opportunities of studying their 

 character with which he has since been favoured. He then 

 regarded the concentric superficial rings as probably mark- 

 ing the insertion of amplexicaul leaves ; and concludes that, 

 "ces anneaux d'insertion, tres-rapproch^s, sont fort ana- 

 logues a ceux qu'on voit sur les tiges des Yucca, de VAletris 

 fragrans et de plusieurs Liliacees arborescentes." After 

 pointing out, also, their resemblance to the stems of Pan- 

 danusy he observes, " on pent done presumer que, lors de la 

 formation des terrains houillers, il existoit un trfes-petit 

 nombre de plantes monocotyledones arborescentes, k tiges 

 analogues surtout k celles des Yucca et des Aletris, portant 

 des feuilles fort semblables aussi a celles des plantes de ces 

 genres." But with that caution which has ever charac- 



♦ London, 1825, p. 8. 



t Prodrome d'une Histoire des Vegetaux Fossiles. Par M. Adolpho 

 Brongniart, Paris, 1828. 



