BUCKLANDIA. 



123 



of the stem, and the slight difference in the form and size of 

 the leaf-scars, led Carruthers to draw a close parallel betweea 

 BucUandia and Cycas, and to infer the nature of the female 

 flowers. 1 He writes : " If the interpretation I have given of 

 the stem of BucUandia, be correct, and if there be good reason, 

 from a morphological point of view, for connecting with it the 

 seeds and male cone found in the same beds, we have a plant 

 which, in these known particulars, cannot be separated generically 

 from Cycas." 2 In addition to the original species, Bucklandia 

 anomala (S. and W.), Carruthers proposes a second specific name 

 for certain Wealden stems which he considers to be distinct from. 

 Stokes and Webb's type. An examination of the British Museum 

 material does not appear to favour this separation into two 

 distinct forms, and I have ventured to incorporate both of the 

 species into B. anomala. We cannot hope to separate such 

 imperfect and structureless specimens into specific forms of any 

 real value, seeing what marked variations in surface features we 

 must expect to find in examples of cycadean stems clothed with 

 a number of more or less decayed leaf bases. It may be noted 

 that the upper portion of the specimen of Bucklandia anomala 

 figured by Carruthers in pi. liv. fig. 1, shows a close approximation 

 in form to that of some forms of the genus Fittonia. 



Bucklandia anomala (Stokes and Webb). 



1824. Clathraria anomala, Stokes and Webb, Trans. Geol. Soc. [2] vol. i. 

 p. 422, pis. xlv., xlvi. fig. 8 ; pi. xlvii. fig. iv. 



1827. Clathraria Lyelli, Mantell, Illust. Geol. Sussex, p. 52, pi. i. fig. 2 ; 



pi. ii. figs. 4 and 5. 



1828. Clathraria Lyelli, Brongniart, Prodrome, p. 200. 



1833. Clathraria Lyelli, Mantell, Geol. S.E. England, p. 233, pi. i. figs, i., ii., 



and vi. 

 1844. Clathraria Lyelli, Mantell, Medals, vol. i. p. 182, fig. 44. 



1847. Clathraria Lyelli, 3 Mantell, Geol. Excurs. I. Wight, p. 292. 



1848. Clathraria Lyelli, Bronn, Index pal. nomencl. 



1 This suggested resemblance to Cycas does not appear to me very close ; 

 a comparison of the fossil stem and its pith cast with the stem and pith cast 

 of Hacrozamia, sp., reveals a striking similarity. 



2 Carruthers, loc. cit. p. 685. 



3 The specimen figured by Mantell (p. 293), Abth. i. p. 305, as Clathraria 

 Lyelli is a waterworn fragment of LennMiUs. 



