

XLIX] CEPHALOTAXOPSIS 423 



on either side of it is a stomatal groove in which stomata are 

 irregularly scattered; the orientation of the guard-cells though 

 not constant tends to be parallel to the long axis of the leaf. The 

 epidermal cells are thick-walled and quadrangular or hexagonal 

 and arranged in regular rows. Berry states that the stomatal 

 grooves are a prominent feature and that there is some evidence 

 of the occurrence of woolly hairs, characters suggestive of Torreya 

 rather than Cephalotaxus. Branches from the Potomac beds 

 with shorter leaves are referred to Cephalotaxopsis brevifolia in 

 which is included C. microphylla Font. Berry points out that the 

 photograph of C. brevifolia which he gives serves to 'emphasize 

 the idealisation and inaccuracy of the former figures of this plant.' 



Such evidence as is available favours the comparison of these 

 species with recent Taxineae, but the structure of the leaves of 

 . C. magnifolia, so far as it is indicated in the epidermal preparations 

 described by Berry, would seem to be in favour of a closer affinity 

 to Torreya than to Cephalotaxus. The presence of depressed 

 stomatal regions is a characteristic feature of Torreya and not of 

 Cephalotaxus. 



Heer 1 described a specimen from the Lower Cretaceous beds 

 of Greenland as Cephalotaxites insignis consisting of a small piece 

 of foliage-shoot with, apparently attached to it, an oval seed 

 (18 x 13 mm.) in the form of a mould. Without examining the 

 type-specimen it would be rash to accept the determination as 

 correct. Berry 2 has described some seeds from Mid-Cretaceous 

 rocks in Carolina as Cephalotaxospermum carolinianum, approxi- 

 mately 10 by 8 mm. in size, ovoid acuminate, and resembling the 

 seeds of Cephalotaxus, but no anatomical features are preserved. 

 Saporta's species Cephalotaxus europaea 3 founded on sterile shoots 

 from the Aquitanian of Manosque in the South of France affords 

 no convincing evidence of generic identity with Cephalotaxus. 



Seeds from Upper Pliocene beds in the Main valley are referred 

 by Engelhardt and Kinkelin 4 to three species of Cephalotaxus, the 

 type-species being C.francofurtana. They bear a close resemblance 

 to the recent seeds but this is hardly sufficient to prove their generic 

 identity. 



1 Heer (83) p. 10, PL on. fig. 12. ' 2 Berry (10 4 ). 



3 Saporta (93) p. 42, PL v. fig. 4. 



4 Engelhardt and Kinkelin (08) p. 194, PL xxm. fig. 11. 



