86 C YCADEAE, MEDULLOSEAE. 



appearance of belonging to recent genera, though the connection cannot be 

 certainly proved. To these must be added a cone-like flower supposed to 

 belong to the Cycadeae, Zamiostrobus Saportanus, Schpr, from Armissan 

 in the South of France. No remains of Cycads have been found by Heer in 

 the rich Miocene flora of the Polar regions, for Nilssonia serotina, Heer 1 

 from Sagalien may be a Fern. 



The genus Cycas is a singular type without any near relatives in 

 modern vegetation. Fossil forms teach us that this type is one of great 

 antiquity. We find leaves with all the characters of those of Cycas, copious 

 pinnation and linear pointed pinnae with only one nerve, in all formations 

 down to the Rhaetic. From the Chalk may be mentioned Cycas Steen- 

 strupii, Heer 2 , and C. Dicksoni, Heer 3 , both from the Urgonian beds 

 of Atane in Greenland ; from the Wealden C. Romeri, Schenk 4 , from 

 the Jurassic beds C. zamioides 5 , and from the same formation in 

 India C. Rajmahalensis, Oldh., C. Blandfordianus, Oldh. c , C. constrictus, 

 Feistm. 7 , C. Lorteti, and other species 8 ; from the angulatus-beds of 

 the Lias C. pectinatus, Berger ; from the Rhaetic formation C. rectangu- 

 laris, Braun 10 . If the small leaf-fragment named by Goppert 11 C. taxo- 

 dinus really belongs to this family, and having seen the original specimen 

 from Rothwaltersdorf in Silesia I do not in fact know where else it can be 

 placed, the type will have existed as early as the Carboniferous limestone. 



But though these leaves are so characteristic and so like those of our 

 modern Cycas-forms, yet we could not venture on the strength of them 

 alone to ascribe so great antiquity to the recent genus. But this conclusion 

 is supported by the carpophylls, which like the leaves are frequently met 

 with and are easy of recognition, and agree in all essential points with those 

 of Cycas revoluta. A carpophyll in splendid condition lies on the same 

 slab with the Cretaceous Cycas Steenstrupii, Heer, and has the ovules still 

 in situ on the extremities of the lower pinnae. The original specimens of 

 two similar fossils from the Coralline Oolite of Sommedieu near St. Mihiel, 

 are unfortunately lost ; the figures of them are to be seen in Saporta 12 with 

 the name of Cycadospadix Moreauanus, Sap. At the same place in Saporta 

 and also in Schenk 13 , will be found an account of similar remains (Cycado- 

 spadix Hennoquei, Schpr) which occurred repeatedly in the angulatus-beds 

 of Hettange and Coburg. It is true that in most of these cases only the 

 extremities of the carpophylls are preserved, but they are associated with 

 the before-mentioned leaves (C. pectinatus, Berger) and with very many 



1 Heer (5), vol. 5 III, t. 2. a Heer (5), vol. 6 11, t. 5. * Heer (5), vol. 3 n, t. 28, and vol. 



6 n, 1. 16. 4 Schenk (1), t. 32. * Leckenby (1), t. 8. Pal.Ind., ser. II, vol. i, pt. i, tt. 7, 8, 9. 



7 Pal. Ind., ser. II, vol. i, pt. iv, t. 7. 8 de Saporta (4), vol. ii, tt. 12, 13. Berger (1). 

 See also Goppert (8). 10 Schenk (3), t. 35. u Goppert (7). 12 de Saporta (4), vol. ii, t. 116. 

 13 Schenk (3), t. 32. 



