CYCADEAE, MEDULLQSEAE. 93 



original specimens of B. Saxbyanus, Carr. Clathropodium Trigeri, Sap., 

 which I examined in the Paris Museum, also proved to be a stem of Ben- 

 nettites. 



Elongated cylindrical stems encircled by a similar armour of leaf- 

 bases are called by Saporta, Cylindropodium and Platylepis. The latter 

 name is given to forms in which the surfaces of separation are very broad 

 and flat. The same stems are named by Carruthers Bucklandia, Yatesia 

 and Mantellia. Cylindropodium liasinum, Sap., from the Lower Lias of 

 Luneville 1 , though badly preserved, shows the outlines of its woody 

 cylinder. Lastly, in Fittonia, Carr. Saporta includes all those stems 

 in which the enveloping leaf-bases, narrowed into the shape of a cone 

 or finger and touching one another only at the base, bear the com- 

 paratively small scar of separation at their apex. Besides the species 

 figured by Saporta and Carruthers this genus also includes the cyca- 

 daceous stem from the Wealden of Bantorf near Hanover, which 

 Schenk 2 has figured as Clathraria Lyellii. Figures of stems resembling 

 Cylindropodia and Fittoniae, and said to have been found in the Permian 

 formation of Eastern Russia, will be found in Eichwald 3 . Fresh examina- 

 tion of this author's original specimens is required in this as in many other 

 cases. 



Certain cone-like casts from the Cenomanian Chalk of Bohemia, named 

 by Velenovsky 4 Krannera mirabilis, have recently been declared by him 

 to be stems of some form of plant allied to Cycadeae. They were formerly 

 considered to be cones, and have been described by Presl 5 under the- name 

 of Dammarites albus, by Goppert 6 under that of D. crassipes. These 

 fossils are globular bodies beset with scales arranged in spirals, each scale 

 showing a transverse scar of separation on the inner side of its upper 

 margin. Fragments of parallel-nerved leaves are in a few cases still 

 attached to the scar, showing that the scales must be regarded as woody 

 leaf-bases. These cone-like bodies are sometimes borne on thick stalks 

 marked with leaf-scars, and are therefore believed by Velenovsky to be 

 the shortened thickened extremities of cylindrical leafy stalks. From the 

 remains of the leaves found attached to the scales he suspects that to 

 these cones belong certain parallel-nerved simple ribbon-like leaves 7 

 with obtuse terminations common in the same locality, which were 

 erroneously determined to be Flabellaria chamaeropifolia, Gopp. and 

 regarded as shreds of palm-leaves. Velenovsky inclines to compare them 

 rather with Cordaites, Phoenicopsis or Podozamites, or still better with 

 Rhiptozamites Gopperti 8 which comes near them in size. If this view 



1 de Saporta (4), vol. ii, t. 1 18. 2 Schenk (1), t. 14. 3 Eichwald (1), vol. i, tt. 17, 18. 



4 Velenovsky (1% t. 4. 5 Steinberg, Graf von (1), Heft 5-8, t. 52, ff. n, 12. Goppert (4), p. 

 238, t. 45. 7 Velenovsky (1), t. i. 8 Schmalhausen (1), t. 15, ff. i-u. 



