CYCADOFILICALES 



25 



long to Neuropteris decipiens (fig. 23). The seeds were borne at the 

 ends of the midribs of the leaf and its primary branches, as shown in 

 the Carboniferous Swamp Reconstruction (figs. 4, 5, and 11). Other 

 species of Neuropteris have smaller seeds. 



Others. — Many others have been described, mostly from impres- 

 sions, but a goodly number from well-preserved material. One with 

 a leaf resembling that of Aneimia, 

 with seeds in organic connection, 

 was found in the Lower Pottsville 

 of Virginia*'^^ (fig. 24). 



Pecopleris pluckenetii^^^ bore seeds 

 in about the same position as in 

 the living genus Cycas (fig. 25). The 

 seed Stephanos permum akenioides 

 bears considerable resemblance to a 

 cycad seed. Physostoma is another 

 well-preserved seed. 



With an occasional bit of repeti- 

 tion, this chapter will be concluded 

 with some general remarks, some 

 observations on phylogeny, and an 

 attempt to reconstruct parts of 

 the life-history where material is 

 not yet available. 



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GENERAL REMARKS 



Fig. 22. — Heterangium grievii: longi- 

 tudinal section of stem showing pri- 

 mary wood; px, protoxylem; x, cen- 

 tripetal metaxylem; x', centrifugal 

 metaxylem; x^r, parenchyma of med- 

 ullary ray; cp, conjunctive parenchy- 

 ma; X13S. — After Scott. 



The investigations upon the 

 CycadofiHcales have brought re- 

 sults which constitute the great- 

 est achievement of paleobotany. 

 During the past forty years the number of investigators, and the im- 

 portance of their results, have been increasing with great rapidity. As 

 early as 1883 it was suspected that some of the plants regarded as 

 ferns might be seed plants. In 1903 Oliver and Scott found the seed, 

 Lagenostoma, on the foliage of Sphenopteris, thus proving that the 

 supposed fern was a seed plant. In the same year, Grand d'Eury 

 found hundreds of seeds on leaves of Pecopteris pluckenetii; Kidston 



