Fossil Floras of Cape Colony. 7 



for Hymenopteris psilotoides, formerly used by Stokes and Webb '^' 

 for fragments of a fern from the English Wealden. In 1894 the 

 discovery of several fertile pinnae demonstrated the close relationship 

 of the species to the Japanese fern described by Yokoyama as 

 Onychiojysis elongata (Gey.). The material from South Africa is 

 unfortunately represented solely by sterile fronds, and we are there- 

 fore unable to found a complete specific diagnosis on the Uitenhage 

 specimens. It is as a rule inadvisable to employ a generic name 

 implying relationship with existing types unless the comparison is 

 supported by the evidence of fructification characters. It must be 

 admitted that so long as we have only sterile examples before us 

 there necessarily remains an element of doubt as to the correct- 

 ness of our interpretation of the specimens. In the present case 

 there is so close a resemblance as regards the habit of the fronds 

 and in the form of the ultimate segments between the Uitenhage 

 plant and such European species as Onycliiopsis mantelli (Brongn.),t 

 0. caj^sulifera (Vel.),l and the Japanese type, 0. elongata {Gey. ),^ that 

 I have ventured to adopt Yokoyama' s generic name Onychiopsis. 



The fern figured by Tate as Sphcnopteris antipodum has been 

 referred to in a previous work as apparently identical with the 

 European specimens of Oiiycliiopsis mantelli.\\ The drawing of 

 'Tate's type-specimen,*' reproduced in pi. v., fig. 1, shows rather 

 more clearly than the figure published in 1867 the identity of 

 Sphenopteris antipodum, at least as regards sterile pinnse, with 

 Onychiopsis mantelli. In Part I. of the Catalogue of Wealden 

 plants in the British Museum I figured a fragment of a frond as 

 Onychiopsis elongata, retaining Geyler's specific name as charac- 

 terising a type of frond with pinnules of slightly greater breadth 

 than those of Onychiopsis mantelli ; the separation of the two 

 species was, however, made with some hesitation and with the 

 admission that both forms might eventually have to be included 

 under one term."* Since the publication of the Catalogue a much 

 larger and more complete specimen of Onychiopsis has been obtained 

 from the Wealden beds of Sussex with pinnules of slightly broader 

 type, which confirms my suspicion that the recognition of two 

 distinct species was based on insufficient evidence. 



The plant figured by Geyler in 1877 as Thyrsopteris elongata, and 



* Stokes and Webb (24), p. 423. f Sewaid (94), p. 41, pi. ii. 



+ Velenovsky (88), pi. i., figs. 6-12. 



§ Geyler (77), pi. xxx., xxxL !, Seward (94), p. 44. 



•[ Museum of the Geological Society of London, No. 11,114. 

 ** Seward (94), p. 5-5, pi. ii., fig. 2. 



