OF LOWER GREENS A XI) PLOTS. 53 



on the other hand, also a smaller trunk, the woody zone is 

 16 mm. and more across in some of the new sections. Such a 

 wood cylinder as that of our fossil forms a remarkable contrast to 

 the American Cycadeoidea (Bennettitest) Jenncyana, for instance, 

 where there is a close secondary zone of wood 80 mm. and 

 more thick. 



Without microscopical investigation ifc is, of course, impossible 

 to attain final certainty, but, so far as can be judged, Carruthers 

 was fully justified in placing this form in a species by itself. 

 It is clearly different from the two other Lower Grecnsand 

 forms. 



Pseudo-genus CYCADEORACHIS, nov. 



Diagnosis. The stout, pinnately branched rachises of Cycadean 

 foliage, which, while indicating the general character of the 

 frond, does not show the shape of the pinnao well enough to be 

 associated with any of the many foliage-genera. 



The sturdy and massive foliage of some of the Cycads, with 

 their thick rachises and strong lateral pinna3, is often preserved 

 in coarse matrix, which does not retain any of those finer 

 characteristics needed for the specific determination. For such 

 specimens a comprehensive term such as the above may usefully 

 be employed. 



A good specimen of this kind is the following: - 



V. 6690. In a mass of matrix (17x12x6 cm.) lie two sturdy 

 rachises, about 1*5 cm. in diameter. One of these is 

 nearly circular, half of the cylinder of the rachis being 

 broken out of the matrix, the other is represented 

 only by a flattened cast (see text-fig. 15) ; both show 

 stout laterals which look like somewhat curled pinna?. 

 While these are more likely to be Cycadean than 

 anything else, it is not impossible that they are part 

 of a large palm-leaf. No decisively determinable 

 remains of palms are recorded for this deposit (see 

 p. 258), while other Cycadean remains are fairly 

 common in the quarries in the Kentish Rag. The 

 decomposing plant-fragments which I was able to 

 detach yielded no helpful data. Kentish Kag; Maid- 

 fetohc. JXo history. 



