236 CORDAITBAE [CH. 



The leaf is broadly lanceolate; it tapers gradually to an acute 

 apex reaching a length of 80 cm. and a breadth of 10 cm. In 

 habit the young foliage-shoots 1 resemble those of C. principalis 

 and C. borassifolius. Grand'Eury records the frequent association 

 of Samaropsis seeds with this species ; it occurs in Upper Carboni- 

 ferous and in Permian strata and is recorded from a few British 

 localities. 



Cordaites (Poa-Cordaites) microstachys Goldenberg. 



Weiss 2 first figured this species from drawings supplied by 

 Goldenberg at whose suggestion the name C. microstachys was 

 adopted. The type-specimen consists of a slender axis bearing 

 numerous narrow linear leaves and a few imperfect fertile axillary 

 shoots. A specimen is figured by Kidston 3 from the Upper 

 Coal Measures of Radstock: it is a rare type in Britain. The 

 species is readily distinguished from C. principalis and similar 

 forms by the narrow lamina which varies considerably in length, 

 rarely as long as 30 cm. and not exceeding 1 cm. in breadth. 

 The apex is obtuse and the ribs are either equal in strength or 

 1 2 finer striae may alternate with the stronger ribs. The base 

 of the lamina is 3 4 mm. wide and the leaf-scars have a slightly 

 arched upper margin and an almost straight lower edge 4 . The 

 foliage of this species, generally regarded as identical with 

 C. linearis Grand'Eury, bears a close resemblance to that of the 

 Mesozoic genus Phoenicopsis from which it is distinguished by 

 the occurrence of the leaves in bunches. 



C. gracilis Lesq. 5 is a similar type. The shoot on which 

 Lesquereux founded his genus Desmiophyllum 6 may perhaps be 

 an example of Poa-Cordaites. Poa-Cordaites tenuifolius Schmal. 7 

 from the Permian of Russia may be identical with C. microstachys. 



As examples of other forms of leaf referred to Cordaites, 

 though as in other cases without any proof of connexion with 

 branches having the anatomical features of the genus, reference 



1 Grand'Eury (77) A. PL xvm. ; Renault and Zeiller (88) A. PL LXVI. 



2 Weiss, C. E. (72) p. 195. 3 Kidston (02) B. PL LXIV. fig. 2. 



* Zeiller (80) A. p. 146, PL CLXXV. fig. 1; Grand'Eury (77) A. p. 225; (90) A. 

 PL vii. fig. 5 ; Renault and Zeiller (88) A. PL LXVH. figs. 1, 2. 



5 Lesquereux (80) A. p. 539. 6 Lesquereux (78) p. 322. 



7 Schmalhausen (87) PL vi. figs. 46. 



