1906] CURRENT LITERATURE 151 
Elymus (2).—OsrerHout proposes from Colorado (idem 611-61 3) new species 
of Allionia, Aster, Senecio, and Carduus (2), which are respectfully referred to 
Mr. RYDBERG.—SARGENT adds (Rhodora 7: 192-219. 1905) 24 new species of 
Crataegus, all from New England.—Rostnson describes (idem 219-222) a new 
Ranunculus from Gaspé and Labrador.—C. R. B. 
Fossil gymnosperms.—Two trunks of Cycadoidea have been found in the 
Portland beds of Boulogne, to which MM. Fricue and ZEILLER give the specific 
name C. pumila on account of their small size."* Another Cycadoidea is des- 
cribed without attribution of a specific name. An interesting and important dis- 
covery is a cone of Sequoia of the S. giguntea type, which is named 5S. portlandica. 
The oldest well authenticated cone of Sequoia previously known is Heer’s S. 
lusitanica from the Wealden beds of Portugal, which belongs to the type repre- 
sented by the living S. sempervirens. It thus is demonstrated that Sequoia existed 
in its two living types as far back as the Jurassic period and must thus be very much 
more ancient in its first appearance. Other important discoveries are pine-cones 
representing the two main series of the present day, viz., the sections Strobus and 
Pinaster. The cone of the Strobus type is very much flattened and does not 
yield any definite information as to its internal organization, so the authors 
include it under the provisional fossil genus Pinites, with the specific appellation 
P. strobijormis, which would appear to be too close to our western Pinus strobi- 
jormis to stand as a permanent name. The other cone is exceedingly well pre- 
served and resembles very closely, as the authors point out, small cones of the 
living P. Luricio. This cone is referred to Pinus as P. Sauvagei. ‘These obser- 
vations are of very special interest because they establish that Pinus too must be 
a very old genus, since examples of both the hard and soft pine series existed 
already in the Jurassic. 
GoTHAN calls attention to the somewhat Puts TEA condition of X ylopa- 
laeontolgie at the present time and by comprehensive study of fossil and living 
woods, including many type-specimens of the former, reaches a number of con- 
clusions of greater or less importance.t? The proposition of FELrIx to divide 
fossil woods presenting tracheary structure resembling that of living Araucarineae, 
into Cordaioxyla for the palaeozoic woods, which may be supposed to be those 
of Cordaites, and into Araucarioxyla for mesozoic and later woods, is rejected, 
since in the author’s opinion no distinction can be made histologically between 
the two. For these w ENDLICHER’s name Dadoxylon is retained. Cedroxylon. 
Kraus and Cupressinoxylon Goeppert are separated from each other, not on the 
basis of the presence of resiniferous parenchyma in the latter genus and ts 
absence in the former, but on the character of the medullary ray-cells, since many 
Cedroxyla and even Pityoxyla have resinous parenchyma. This distinction has 
LICHE, P., et ZEILLER, R., Note sur un florule portlandienne des environs de 
Roper Me Bull. Soc. Geol. de la France IV. 4: 787-812. 1904. 
2 GoTHAN, W., Zur Anatomie lebender und fossiler a 
ABhasdl. ag pilcaed: geol. Landesanstalt, Neue Folge, Heft 44. 
