Or LOWER GREENLAND PLANTS. 233 



Among the earlier-described woods, that recorded by Cramer 

 (1868) from Banksland as Cupressinoxi/lon pulchrum is rather 

 suggestive of our fossil in its ray-pitting, though the majority of 

 the pits seem to be in pairs per tracheid-field. 



In its possession of pith and protoxylem our fossil differs from 

 these described species, and, as our branch is evidently a young 

 one or the core only of an older branch, comparison with the 

 other fossils, which are probably older trunks, is all the more 

 difficult. So far as preserved, the pith, with its large stone-cells, 

 supports the conclusion that the fossil is a member of the 

 Podocarpacese, in which family idioblasts and various kinds of 

 stone-cells are prevalent in the pith. 



In conclusion, while I place the fossil in the broad " genus " 

 Podocarpoxylon, the very characteristic pitting of the ray-cells 

 is highly suggestive of the living Phi/11 'ocludus, with which it is 

 not impossible that the fossil had true affinity, notwithstanding 

 the fact that the living genus is now confined to the Southern 

 Hemisphere. 



I name the species after Dr. Gothan of Berlin, in recognition 

 of the service his researches in fossil wood-structures have done 

 to Palaeobotany. 



V. 13194. Type-specimen. A small branch, now 2'5 cm. in 

 diameter, showing the centre of the stem and a number 

 of annual rings of wood. The specimen is decorticated 

 and completely embedded in the coarse granular 

 matrix of the Lower Greensand. The portion of the 

 branch now remaining is 6 cm. long, with some 

 pieces from which sections have been cut. 



V. 13194 a. Figured, text-fig. 65. Transverse section of the 

 above, showing well-preserved pith with stone-cells, 

 slightly broken protoxylems, and a number of rings of 

 secondary wood. These are extremely variable in 

 thickness, and are partly " composite," the zones of 

 tissue being very well preserved. 



V. 13194 b. Figured, text-fig. 66. Longitudinal radial section of 

 the above, showing zones of wood. The pitting of the 

 tracheids, the medullary rays, and the resin-containing 



