I 



246 ARAUCARINEAE 



On the other hand the type of foliage-shoot represented by existing 

 species of Agathis without taking into account the Palaeozoic 

 leaves assigned to Cordaites, some species of which bear a close 

 superficial resemblance to those of certain examples of the recent 

 genus is widely represented in Khaetic and Jurassic floras by 

 Podozamites 1 . There is, however, no proof that Podozamites was 

 nearly related to Agathis, and, indeed, such information as we have 

 with regard to the reproductive organs of that genus does not 

 point to any very close Araucarian affinity. Fossil wood gives 

 no help towards a distinction between the two members of the 

 Araucarineae nor do impressions of vegetative shoots materially 

 aid us. 



Palaeobotanical literature contains a few records of leaves 

 referred to Dammara or Dammarites but in no case is there any 

 conclusive evidence of generic identity of the fossils with the 

 recent genus. Leaves from Lower Cretaceous rocks in Bohemia 

 described by Velenovsky and by Fric and Bayer 2 as Dammaro- 

 phyllum striatum and D. bohemicum exhibit a close agreement in 

 shape and venation with those of some species of Agathis, though 

 they differ but slightly from some forms of Podozamites, e.g., 

 P. Reinii Geyl. (fig. 814, p. 456). Other leaves that may belong to 

 plants similar to Agathis are represented by Dammarites caudatus 

 and D. emarginatus Lesq. from the Dakota series 3 : these, prob- 

 ably specifically identical, forms present, as Lesquereux says, a close 

 resemblance to Agathis robusta. It is impossible without additional 

 data to determine the true position of these and similar leaves 

 though it is permissible to regard them as possible examples of 

 the foliage of Conifers closely allied to Agathis. Similarly, some 

 detached leaves from Cretaceous and Tertiary strata referred to 

 Podozamites may well be more akin to Agathis especially in view 

 of the fact that Podozamites is essentially a Rhaetic and Jurassic 

 genus. The leaves figured by Saporta 4 from Lower Cretaceous 

 beds in Portugal as Podozamites ellipsoideus agree closely with 

 those of Agathis. In the case of separate linear leaves like those 

 described by Hollick 5 from the Cretaceous of Long Island as 

 1 See page 447. 2 Fric and Bayer (01) B. p. 96. 



3 Lesquereux (91) p. 32, PL T figs. 911. 



4 Saporta (94) B. PL xxxm. fig. 5; PL xxxv. fig 12. 



5 Hollick (12) PJ. 163, figs. 2, 3. 



