28 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE 



to-day. In support of this it may be considered that the large 

 number of cones must have been a great drain on the plant's 

 resources ; but, on the other hand, it must not be forgotten that 

 the living Cycas indefinitely produces without suffering great 

 numbers of larger seeds than those borne by Bennettites, in which 

 the huge endosperms are packed with food-material. 



From the complex and " flower "-like fructifications of this 

 remarkable group many theories have been deduced concerning 

 the origin of the Angiosperms. References to the papers on the 

 subject will be found in the principal works above quoted. It 

 may be noted that the extraordinary vegetative characters of 

 CJycadophyta, as a whole, and their remoteness from the Angio- 

 spermic forms, is generally ignored or slurred over by those who 

 consider mainly the relative positions of the organs in tho 

 fructification. 



Bennettites Gibsonianus, l'arruth 



[Text-h>. ^-\'2] 



1870. liennettites Cli/if'/n'tnum, Carruthers, Trans. I. inn. Soc., 



vol. 26, p. 700, pis. Iviii-lx. 

 1878. ticntu-ttitt's GibsunidHu.t, Carrutln-rs, in l)ixon's C^-n], Sn- 



p. '231. 

 1887. Hennettite.8 Gibson ir ilma-Laubftch, Kinh-it. Pa! 



phytologie, pp. W> W, tf.\t-Hir. ~>. 



1890. Bennettites Gibsoniantw, Solins-Laubach, Bot. Xrit., p. 789, 

 pi*, ix, x. 



1801. Bennettites Gibs<>nianns ) Solnis-Lanbarh, Ann. lint., vol. ~>, 

 p. 411), pis. xxv, xxvi. 



1891. fcnnettitet (iibsoniumi*) Sulin^-Lnubuch, Fossil liotanv, 

 pp. 94-96, text-tiir. 



1892. Pennettitct Gibson ianux, Capcllini & Solnis-Lauliacli, Mem. 

 R. Accad. Sci. Bologiia, ser. 5, vol. 2, pp. 34 & others. 



1894. Bennettites Gibsonianus, Lignier, Me" in. Soc. Linn. Norinandif, 



vol. 18, p. 76. 

 1894. Cycadeoidea Gibsoni, Ward, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 



vol. 9, p. 80. 

 [? 1895. Bemiettites Gibsonianus, Seward, B. M. Cat. Wealdun 



Flora, vol. 2, p. 142.] 

 1897. Bennettites Gibsonianus, Sewavd, Quart. Joiirn. Geol. Soc., 



vol. 53, pp. 22 et seq., pi. iii, fig. 7 ; pi. iv, h'g. 10. 

 1900. Btnnettit's Gibsoniaim.*, \Vieland, Auitr. Fossil Cycads. 



p]>. 15, 16 & others, to \.\'-\. 



