JEFFREY. — ARAUCARIOXYLON TYPE. 543 



cedroxylon recently descrihed by Siimott.^^ P(>rliap.s the most con- 

 spicuous illustrations of this condition are supplied hy Araueariopitys ^^ 

 and the so called Cedroxylon transiens of Gothan.^^ Here not only 

 does the pitting depart largely from the Araucarian type, but the wood 

 is likewise particularized by strongly pitted rays resembling those of 

 the Abietineae. It is clear from the facts and citations of facts here 

 assembled, that in the Mesozoic there were woods which either had 

 the Araucarian type of pitting very imperfectly developed or if well 

 displayed in the adult wood, not found to be present in the first annual 

 ring. It may be stated in anticipation of conclusions to be drawn 

 later, that it follows that Araucarian pitting was not a characteristic 

 of the primitive stock from which the Araucariineae of to-day and their 

 nearest relati\es in the Mesozoic, were derived. 



The conditions in the li^■ing genera of the Araucariineae as regards 

 pitting, may now advantageously be considered. Figure c, Plate 5, 

 shows the appearance of a radial section of the wood in an old seedling 

 stem of Agaihis ausfralis, perhaps the most highl}' specialized species 

 of the genus now in existence. The pits are obviously much crowded 

 and when in a single row strongly flattened, or when multiseriate 

 somewhat polygonal in shape. Exactly similar conditions are found 

 in the case of the wood of species of Araucaria, and as a consecj[uence 

 it is not necessary to illustrate by a figure the wood structure in that 

 genus. Figure d, Plate 5, shows a radial section of the wood at the 

 base of the seedling stem of Agathis australis. Here the pits are ob- 

 viously not crowded or flattened by mutual contact. This condition 

 is found for several inches above the ground in the seedling stem and 

 for a great number of annual rings outwards, as many for example as 

 fifteen. In the main root of the seedling similar conditions are found 

 to a considerable depth but in the secondary roots, the pitting becomes 

 typically Araucarian, with the very many rows of pits, characteristic 

 of root wood in general. In the seedling stem of Araucaria BidwUlii, 

 A. imbricata and A. Cookii, very similar conditions were found, to a 

 less marked degree and lower down in the stem, rather in its hypoco- 

 tyledonary than its epicotyledonary region. It is an interesting fact 

 that in the seedling stem of the living genera of the Araucarian Coni- 

 fers, we find perpetuated the type of pitting charcteristic of Brachy- 

 oxylon,^* Araueariopitys,^^ Paracedroxylon,^^ Cedroxylon transiens ^^ 

 from various levels of the Mesozoic. Here we have illustrated in a 



21 Op. cit. 22 Jeffrey, Bot. Gazette, 44 (1907). 



23 Op. cit. 24 Op. cit. 25 Op. cit. 



26 Op. cit. 27 Op. cit. 



