198 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.xxi. 



by tlio intrusion ofotlior orjian.s, but sjnral rows ascend injj^ from left to 

 riglit at an anji^lo varying from 75""' below to 15'^ above ])lainly traceable; 

 leaf scars subrliombic to nearly rhombic, very small relatively to size of 

 trunk, 13 to lO mm. between lateral, and 8 to \1 mm. between vertical 

 angles, emi)ty to a dei)tli of 13 to TK) mm., the bottoms of the cavities 

 ai)i)arently occupied by jwrtions of the leaf bases; interstices between 

 th<' scars very variable, but, <'xcei)t at the summit, generally large, 

 sonu'times 25 mm., n(^arly even on the surface but finely mjirked with 

 mostly horizontal but variously curved or crooked ridges or wrinkles, 

 with occasional indications of i)lanes of separiition into two, three, or 

 even live plates; walls much thinner in the upper i)ortion, often broken 

 down in the specimens, disjdaying the striate ijiner surface of the scars 

 diminishing in si/e below; reproductive organs abundant at all ])arts 

 of the trunk, large, wciU developed, nnd conspicuous, often rising some- 

 what al)ove the surface, forming gentle swellings or more abrupt pro- 

 tuberan(!('s, elliptical in shape, the major axis nearly hoii/ontal, 5 to 10 

 cm. long, the minor axis 3 to 5 cm., usually with a solid center, some- 

 times with a small central <',avity suirounded by (irm substaiuie, the 

 whole iiu'losed within coiu'.cntric elliptical rings or rows of involucral 

 bract scars which increase in size from the center outward, are empty, 

 and have the form of the leaf scars, into which they occasionally seem 

 to giaduate; armor .") to 10 cm. thick, attached to the woody axis by a 

 uniform layei- of bark mm. thick; cortical parenchyma 4 to G cn>. 

 thick; fibrovascular zone also 1 to cm., separated into two distinct 

 rings of wood, each consisting of a loose sjjongy substance inclosed in 

 a firm plate or thin hard layer, the outer ring 35 mm. and the inner 25 

 mm. in thickness, through all of which the medullary rays ])ass form- 

 ing a sort of columnar structure; medulla more or less elliptical in 

 cross section, 11 to 13 cm. by 15 to liO cm. in diameter, decayed leaving a 

 cavity at the base in one specimen, and in another having a concentric 

 structure consisting of four zones or rings of soft porous material 

 scarcely dillVM-ing except in coloration. 



The large perfect specimen, No. of the Cole collection, is the 

 largest cj^;adean trunk known in the world. Prior to its discovery 

 the great (/. rcivhrnhnvhuttut (()(ipp(>rt) (^apellini .Jv Solms Laubach 

 from (iali(;iai which is at the i\lineral(>gical and (Jeological Museum in 

 Dresden, and which 1 have not seen, had taken the lead. Prof. II. B. 

 Cleinitz was so kind as to simkI nic an excellent piiotograph of that speci- 

 men, and on this I lin<l t lie dimensions marked. It is 50 (;m. high, .51 cm. 

 in major, and II (an. in minor, diameter, and 157 cm. in girth. It is 

 tlunefore not so tall as the Ameri(^nn specimen by 20 cm., has a major 

 diameter 25 cm. less, and a minor diameter 2 cm. less, showing that it is 

 less llattened, but the circumference is 23 cm. less. jTlie i)hotograph 

 sent me by Professor (leinitz was taken from the specimen in upsition as 

 mounted on a support in the Dresden Museum. Judging from it alone 

 I should say that the trunk is here inverted, but to be certain it would 



