XLIV] DADOXYLON 183 



examples of this type of element. The uniseriate medullary rays 

 are usually 3 4 cells deep and are described as having 5 6 

 bordered pits with oblique pores in the field. In view of Thomson's 

 conclusion with regard to the absence of pits on the ray cells in 

 recent Araucarineae and considering the form of the pits as shown 

 in Dr Stopes' drawing it may be doubted whether the pits actually 

 belong to the walls of the ray cells. 



Dr Stopes comments on the scarcity of Araucarian remains 

 recorded from New Zealand and adds a brief account of some 

 Tertiary wood described by Ettingshausen l as Araucaria Haasti, 

 a species founded on foliage-shoots which, without any adequate 

 reason, it is surmised belong to the petrified wood. The latter is 

 poorly preserved: Dr Stopes examined the type-specimen and 

 found that the bordered pits on the tracheids are circular and not 

 compressed ; she expresses some doubt as to its Araucarian 

 affinity, but renames the species Araucarioxylon Ettingshauseni. 

 A specimen of wood from Amuri described by Ettingshausen as 

 Dammara Oweni 2 appears to be undoubtedly Araucarian. 



Dadoxylon sp. (Holden). 



An interesting type of stem-wood has been described by Miss 

 Holden 3 as Araucarioxylon sp. from the Cretaceous lignites of 

 Cliffwood, New Jersey, which shows Araucarian characters in com- 

 bination with certain anatomical features not usually associated 

 with Araucarioxylon. The tracheids for the most part have 

 alternate compressed pits; the medullary rays consist of thin- 

 walled cells and there is no xylem-parenchyma. Near the inner 

 edge of the wood the tracheids are characterised by bordered pits 

 in opposite pairs and rims of Sanio occur between adjacent pairs. 

 The specimen is said to supply the only missing link in the chain 

 of evidence pointing to the derivation of the Araucarineae from 

 the Abietineae. Opposite pits are figured by Miss Holden in tra- 

 cheids from the cone-axis of Araucaria Bidwillii and, as stated else- 

 where, Sanio's rims are not unknown in Araucarian wood. I have 

 adopted the name Dadoxylon because the characters as a whole 

 are consistent with that designation though it might be contended 

 that a new name is desirable to indicate the occurrence of unusual 



1 Ettingshausen (87) p. 154, Pis. n. figs. 1, 2; vi. figs. 1012. 



2 Ibid. p. 16, PL vi. figs. 1315. 3 Holden, R. (13 2 ). 



