NO. 1141. FOSSIL CYCADS FROM THE liLM'K HILLS— WARD. 197 



fruits sonictiiiics wanting', their place occupied b}^ a (lce[> circular cav- 

 ity, more Irecpioiitly represented by a dark and (irm substance, wliicli 

 in some of the smaller ones projects beyond tlie general surface; armor 

 5 to 7 cm. thick, separated from tlu^ ligneous axis by a definite line; 

 coitical parenchyma 5 cm. tliick, ILbrous /one 4 cm. thick witli three or 

 nu)re rings of wood, or sometimes i)resenting a number of thin con- 

 centric lamina' of alternating black and brown substance, apparently 

 re[)iesenting as many rings of wood, and inclosing the lioniogeneoiis 

 medulla /> to 15 cm. in diameter, conforming in cross section to the 

 trunk. 



Only one of the si»ecimens belonging to tiie 1 1. 8. National Museum 

 is referable with certainty to this species. This is the fine trunk. No. 1, 

 of the collection of six i)nrchased of Mr. Cole. That this is specilieaJly 

 identical with IMolessor MclJrideAs specinuMi represented by lig. 1 of his 

 plate there is no room to doubt. It is, however, dillicult to reconcile 

 it with his description, in view of the fact that in that desciiption he 

 has included two specimens belonging to entirely diderent species, hia 

 lig. -J showing none of the external characters of lig. 1, or of tiie si)eci- 

 men in hand, but clearly belonging to the same speciiic groui) as several 

 of the fragments collected by Professor .lenney and myself from the 

 Minnekahta. locality in 1S<);{, as will be shown Ix'low. As Professor 

 Mclhide in his desciiplion includes characters that could scarcely have 

 beeu exposed in the perfect trunk represented by his lig. 1, it seems 

 clear that he<leri\-es such iVom the specimen lig. L', which was pr(d)ably 

 a fragment showing these (iharacters in the fractures. It was therefore 

 a question whether to retain the name or not. 1 conclude to do so for 

 so much of Professor Mcliride's description as applies to his lig. 1. 



The Museum specimen is somewhat largei- than the one in the ITni- 

 versity of Iowa, standing over 44 cm. high, having a girth of 122 cm., 

 and weighing 1)0.27 kg. It is one of the most perfect and beautiful 

 eycadean trunks that have thus far been brought, to light. 



Thirteen of the s])ecimens in the Vale collection are referie<l to this 

 species. These are Nos. 1, 3, r>, (5, i;{, ;jO, ;5!), 4;J, r)4, (J2, (la, iJf), and KHI. 

 Of these Nos. .{, 5, and 54 are nearly ])erfect trunks, and one of those, 

 No. 54, is larger than the one in the II. S. National Museum. 



CYCADOIEDEA COLOSSALIS, new species. 



Trunks colossal, sul)conical or snbcylindrical, m(M'e or less laterally 

 compressed, dark colored, hard and heavy, weighing from 100 to over ."{00 

 kg., 38 to 79 cm. high, 40 to GO cm. in majcn-, 2<» to 4(1 cm. in minor diam- 

 eter, 10(> to ISO cm. in girth, bearing numerous relatively small branches 

 not projecting far beyond the general surface; terminal bud low, set in 

 a circular platform of small ])olygonal scars tilled by the bases of the 

 leaves or tracts; organs of the armor and secondary axes horizontal at 

 the middle portion of the trunk, sonunvhai descending at the lower 

 portion and ascending at the uppcu- p()rl ion ; phyllotaxy much obscured 



