THE CARBONIFEROUS FLORA. 



151 



Wood of Palaeozoic Conifers. 







* Type O, Erianum, Dn., " Report on Canadian Plants," 1871. 

 t Type D. Clarkii, Dn., " Report on Canadian Plants," 1882. This may be 

 wood of Cordaites, to which it approaches very closely. 



Family CORDAITES, Genus CORDAITES, Brongniart. 



Trunks marked by transverse scars of attachment of bases of 

 leaves ; leaves broad, with many parallel veins, and attached by a 

 broad base ; pistillate and staminate catkins of the nature of An- 

 tholithes. Fruit winged or pulpy, of the kind known as Cardio- 

 carpum. Stem with a Sternbergia pith, usually large, surrounded by 

 a ring of pseudo-scalariform vessels, and with a cylinder usually 

 narrow, of woody wedges, with bordered pores in one or more series, 

 and with simple medullary rays. 



From specimens kindly presented to me by Prof. Renault, I 



have been able to ascertain that the stems of some at least of these 



>lants (Eucordaites) are distinct in structure from all the species of 



Dadoxylon, above mentioned, except D. Clarkii, of the Brian. They 



may be regarded as intermediate between those of conifers and 



cycads, which is indeed the probable position of these remarkable 



ilants. 



Grand Eury has divided the Cordaites into sub-genera, as fol- 

 lows: 



1. Eucordaites. Leaves spatulate, obovate, elliptical, or Ian- 



