]\Ianchcster Memoirs^ Vol. I. (1906), No. 10. 21 



The new species appears to be closely allied to the 

 original species of the genus, and according to Stenzel's 

 description of this limited genus, it is the only other 

 known plant belonging to it. The name Tiibicaulis has 

 been given by a number of authors to different plants in 

 the course of time, but none of these appears to have real 

 connection with it, and were all discarded by him in his 

 revision of the group in 1889. Since then Scott (:00, 

 p. 296) suggested that Williamson's Rachiopteris corrugata 

 would have been included in the genus by Stenzel, but 

 now that more is known of the plant it is clearly seen to 

 belong to another group. 



The genus Tubicaulis is, therefore, a very small one, 

 consisting of but two species, of each of which but one 

 specimen is known. Stenzel placed it next Asterochlaena, 

 to which it undoubtedly shows some affinity, but in 

 Stenzel's monograph all the known forms of this series are 

 not included, and it appears to be more like Renault's 

 Grainniatopteris Rigolloti. In Renault's description of 

 this species ('91, p. 16 and//tr/^ x.,figs. 11 and 12) there 

 appear to be many points in which it is like Tubicaulis, 

 particularly in its simple solid circular stele, and in the 

 simple band-shaped petiole steles, which, however, remain 

 almost straight and do not curve to form a C as in Tubi- 

 caulis. Botryopteris ramosa (R. ra^nosa of Williamson 

 '91") has also a similar solid main axis with simple masses 

 of wood coming off to the petioles, but there any close 

 agreement ceases ; the arrangement and relative size of 

 its petioles being very different from those of Tubicaulis. 

 Asterochlaena in spite of its corrugated and irregular main 

 stele, approaches more nearly to the type of Tubicaulis, 

 and in the genus there are some varieties which may form 

 a scries. In A. dubia the simple C of the meristele bends 

 its convex side towards the main axis as a Tubicaulis, in 



