122 Contributions towards Establishing the General Character 
thin, like that of most of the Conifers, or thick, as is the case with the 
Sigillarias, the Cycases, and the Cactuses. Mr Witham, in his descrip- 
tion, says, that the specimen when complete, was a tapering body, several 
inches in length, rounded at the extremity, and resembling the termin- 
ation of a stem or branch. In another part itis stated that the specimen, 
divested of its envelope, was compressed, so as to have one diameter 
about a half greater than the other. ‘‘ At the lower part the large dia- 
meter was upwards of two inches; and at the extremity one diameter 
is about half an inch, the other nearly a fourth.”’* I may observe, that 
the sections at present before me answer to these and the intermediate 
sizes. If we were certain that Anabathra possessed a thick bark, there is 
something in the description just quoted which would induce one to sup- 
pose that this fossil was a short fleshy plant, resembling some of the 
Cactuses. Let it be understood, however, that I am far from thinking 
that this was the case. Mr Witham states, that the specimen presented 
the appearance of natural joints, at the distance of about two inches, 
and that its surface was slightly striated in the longitudinal direction. 
I mention these circumstances merely to give it as my opinion, that the 
striated appearance was caused by the very elongated tubes of the lig- 
neous zone, and that the joints were simply transverse cracks. 
A very singular result has been brought about by mineralization, in 
Mr Witham’s specimen. A large portion of the radiated tissue has 
been destroyed: what remains is contained in a narrow marginal strip, 
and in numerous isolated pea-shaped bodies imbedded in a crystalline 
matrix, and situated inwardly to the latter. The reader is therefore 
requested to fill up in imagination all the vacant spaces which are repre- 
sented in figs. 2 and 3, of Plate IV., with the same kind of tissue as that 
which forms the marginal strip and the isolated bodies. To aid this, a 
transverse restoration of the vascular and the ligneous system is given in 
figure 1, which is a little above the natural size. 
Anabathra pulcherrima is undoubtedly a Dicotyledonous plant. It 
possesses a broad ligneous zone (a, fig. 1. Plate IV.),—a large medullary 
sheath in the shape of a hollow cylinder (+),—and, apparently a large 
pith (c). 
The ligneous tissue consists of very elongated tubes, which are oc- 
easionally quadrilateral, but generally hexagonal: they are arranged in 
radiating series, and are remarkably regular in diameter, throughout the 
thickness of the zone, till within the precincts of the vascular cylinder, 
where they become considerably reduced. The apertures caused by 
sectionising these tubes, are distinctly seen with a common magnifier. 
Their length appears to be considerable, since a longitudinal section near- 
ly half an inch long shews none of the tubes with both terminations (vide 
figs. 3 and 4.) The whole of their walls are marked with fine transverse 
* Witham on the “ Internal Structure of Fossil Vegetables,” pp- 39 and 40, 
» 45> ie he 
