DESCRIPTION OP THE SPECIES. 239 



ATHROTAXOPSIS, gen. nov. 



Trees or shrubs, copiously branching, witli principal stems or branches 

 proportionally strong, cylindrical, rigid, sending of!" thickly placed, long, 

 slender, cord-like, ultimate twigs, all in the same plane and spreading widely; 

 the ultimate twigs leave the penultimate ones under a very acute angle and 

 show a tendency to a fastigiate grouping; cones mostly broadly oblong, 

 rarely globular, obtuse and rounded at base and apex, average dimensions 

 10™" by 14™"', attached singly on the summit of short lateral branches and 

 placed on the lower portions of the leafy stems and branches, the twig with 

 its cone representing the branching leafy twigs which occur higher up; 

 scales of the cones woody, thick, wedge-shaped in the basal portions, 

 expanded at the free ends, and probably shield-shaped, numerous, spirally 

 l^laced, attached at a large angle, the middle ones being nearly or quite at 

 a right angle with the axis, close appressed, opening with age ; seed under 

 each scale one, elliptical in shape, smooth and bony in texture, average 

 dimensions 1""" by 2.5""" ; leafy branches ending abruptly in an ultimate 

 twig similar to those sent off pinnately and alternately lower down ; leaves 

 very thin and scale-like, elliptical, rhombic, or oblong, with varying age 

 changing their shape, the rhombic forms representing the oldest and most 

 crowded leaves, slightly keeled on the back, spirally arranged. 



As now found, owing to maceration, the leaves are rarely visible or 

 appear very indistinct. The upper or free surfiice of the scales of the 

 cones was in no case seen sufficiently well preserved and so presented as 

 to show cleai-ly its original character. This surface seems to have been 

 expanded something like the similarly placed part in the scales of Sequoia. 

 The shape of the cone also is a good deal like that of the cone of that 

 genus, but the leaves and the number of seed under the scales differ. The 

 scales of Athrotaxopsis are wedge-shaped, thick, and woody. In a number 

 of cases they wei'e found sufficiently well preserved to permit one to sepa- 

 I'ate them from the cone, and to pick out the comparatively large seed, 

 which were very well preserved. The cones are comparatively quite small 

 in .size, and are found on the lower portions of leafy principal twigs. In 

 some cases, where the cones are numerous, the branch seems to have borne 



