Flower from the Wealden of Sussew. 441 
whorl of larger bracts, which were really sterile. This, 
however , scarcely seems a probable explanation. 
The specimen evidently belongs to the Williamsoniacee, 
and is believed to be the smallest fertile flower of that family 
yet described. ‘Che only member of the family hitherto 
recorded from the Wealden of England is the large Willtam- 
sonia. carruthers’, Sew., of which the male organs are unknown 
(Seward, 1895, p. 157). The generic attribution of the 
present specimen is not a simple matter, but the very small 
siz*, and pa ticularly the reduction of the microsporophylls 
and pollen output, would seem to point against areference to 
Wilkibnsbite, even if the specimen is regarded as a unisexual 
(male) Hower. No comparison is possible with Willamsonia 
minima, Saporta, which is too ill-preserved to be of any 
value (Seward, 1895, p. 155), and the comparatively small 
Williamsonia (?) huttzilopochtli, Wieland, from the Liassic of 
Mexico (Wieland, 1914, p. 98, pl. xxvii. fig. 7 and pl. xxviii.), 
seems to be of quite a different type, and, indeed, is compared 
with the winged seeds of Guetum. The proportionately 
large size (6-7 mm. in diameter) of the prominent central 
portion of our specimen suggests that this may have been an 
ovulate region, in which no trace of structure has been 
preserved, and if this assumption is made a comparison 
immediately becomes possible with Wéielandiella, Nath., and 
Williamsoniella, ‘Vhomas, which are bisexual. Both these 
genera are characterized, as regards the male part of the 
flower, by a smaller number of synangia and simpler micro- 
sporopliy ls than in Williamsonia. In the present case there 
however, nothing comparable to the “ palisade ring” 
iechbal by Nathorst (1909, p. 22) in Wielandiella from 
the Rheetic of Scania, whereas if my interpretation of the 
bracts in the Wealden flower as microsporophylls is correct, 
they show a very close resemblance to those of W “illiamsoniella 
coronata from the Middle Estuarine series of the Yorkshire 
coast (Thomas, 1915, p. 118). This species had no sterile 
bracts, and the ‘ate ovuliferous axis was surrounded by 
twelve to fourteen microsporophy| lls with rounded ends, 
bearing four to eight synangia. ‘Lhe microsporophylls of the 
Wealden specimen seem to me to be of essentially the same 
type, though the whole flower is somewhat smaller. Further- 
more, the microspores are of the same size (c. ‘02 mm.) and 
about the same shape (appearing circular or occasionally 
elliptical). Those of Wielandiella are larger and navicular in 
shape. Spores of We/lamsonia whitbiensis and W. setosa 
described by Nathorst (1911, p. 18, pl. iv. fig. 11), though 
apparently of a similar shape, are about twice the size, while 
