36 nr.sciMPTivi; rAT\i.<;UK 



from their study of the Etruscan species long before the 

 "floral" structures were demonstrated by Wieland. This 

 prophetic passage is translated by Wieland from the original 

 German manuscript of the Italian paper as follows : " "NYc 

 saw that every peduncle (Bliithenstiel) was apically branched 

 into a tuft, these tufts forming a complete outer layer. Can 

 they not have borne apically set anthers? As to whether the 

 flowers of the spadix were male, hermaphrodite, or unisexual 

 and interspersed, is immaterial, it only being necessary to assume 

 a protandrous development of the whole. And if perchance the 

 fruit of Bennettites Gihsonianusw* likewise in its earlier st ; 

 beset by similar staminate organs, these must also have been 

 attached to the external areoles. The interstitial organs of the 

 whole tuft- or bundle-like fruit which unite to form its exterior 

 layer would then represent filaments." 



Oarruthers's original description of these remarkable organs 

 may be quoted < 1 >7<). p. ;'.'(;): " The axils of a large number 

 of the petioles bore short branches. These axillary organs are 

 important features in this group of fossil plants. In some 

 fragmentary specimens, every axil is occupied by a bud. ;n 

 described by Mr. Brown ; but more frequently the majority 

 of the leaves are without them. The proportion of the buds to 

 the leaves appears to be greater in the lower portions of the 

 s'< ins and in stems belonging to old plants. These organ-*, 

 however, are not properly buds : for, although they do not 

 appear to have pushed themselves beyond the permanent ba>es 

 of the leaves, they arc fully developed org.-ms. and differ from 

 the secondary axe* of Mnnt"1l'ut ..... The secondary axis 

 consists of a very short and slender stem, bearinc: a number of 

 simple linear acuminate leaves. These are the only foliar 

 organs hitherto found connected with these fossils. They are 

 composed of oblong cells, ail of which are marked with trans- 

 verse bars, like seal a ri form tissue. Large gum-canals abound 

 in them ; and two vascular bundles run through the leaf, one 

 on either side of its median line. The back of the leaf is sparsely 

 clothed with membranaceous scales, like the ramentum on the 

 petioles." 



" The branch terminates in a fleshy subpyriform enlargement, 

 which bears the seeds. This is composed of, Jirst, a. cellular 

 cushion ; second, vascular cords supporting the seeds ; and. 



