xxxvn] WELTRICHIA 477 



from Cycadocephalus to be retained as a separate genus. Our 

 knowledge of Weltrichia is, however, less complete than in the 

 case of Cycadocephalus and Williamsonia. It is noteworthy that 

 Braun's specimens and those on which Cycadocephalus was 

 founded were obtained from Rhaetic rocks. An account of 

 Weltrichia has also been published by Schuster 1 who differs 

 from Nathorst in his interpretation of the type-specimens : he 

 considers that another fossil described by Braun and named 

 by him Palaeoxyris microrhombea is the central, female, portion 

 of a Weltrichia flower, a view that is not supported by any sub- 

 stantial evidence. The specimens referred by Braun to Palaeoxyris 

 and afterwards transferred by Schimper 2 to the genus Lepidanthium 

 are too obscurely preserved to be determined with any degree of 

 confidence, and their connexion with Weltrichia is purely hypo- 

 thetical. With Weltrichia Schuster also connects the fronds 

 known as Otozamites brevifolius Braun and some impressions of 

 stems, combining all in a restoration of a complete Weltrichia 

 plant which rests more on imagination than on fact. Attention 

 has elsewhere 3 been called to some wholly misleading and incor- 

 rect statements made by Schuster which vitiate the value of 

 his descriptions. 



Saporta 4 described a species of Weltrichia, W. Fabrei. from 

 French Rhaetic strata at Mende (Lozere) which bears at least a 

 close superficial resemblance to Williamsonia spectabilis, and the 

 same author founded another species, Weltrichia oolithica, on a 

 drawing by Zigno of a specimen from Jurassic rocks in Italy; 

 but this appears to be too imperfect for accurate identification. 



All that can be said as to the nature of Weltrichia, as illustrated 

 by the type-species, is that it represents a Rhaetic example of 

 a verticil of microsporophylls very similar to those of Williamsonia 

 and Cycadocephalus, if not generically identical with the latter 

 form. 



1 Schuster (IP). 



2 Schimper (72) A. p. 200. 



3 Zeitsch. f. Bot. 1912, p. 456. 



4 Saporta (91) pp. 204, 206, Pis. 254, 255. 



