44 Mr A. G. Seward, On Lomatophloios macrolepidotus. [Feb . 10, 



From an examination of microscopical sections Weiss came to 

 the conclusion that the structure was that of a fruit-cone of 

 peculiar organisation. The internal structure is thus described 1 : 

 " From an axis of considerable breadth (about 12 cm.) proceed 

 the lower parts of the leaf organs which have the well-known 

 rhombic leaf-bases with transverse leaf-scars at their upper end. 

 The leaf-bases are sack-like and arched towards the lower end, 

 from which they curve upwards and outwards : in their lower 

 part they are much inflated, and almost reach to the leaf-base 

 next above ; they then gradually become narrower until they are 

 of the same breadth as the leaf-scars ; this inflated lower portion 

 encloses a sack- or flask-shaped space. The organisation can be 

 easily made out as the tissue is in part well preserved. The 

 flask-shaped spaces contain large (sometimes 2 '5 mm. in diameter) 

 round and elliptical bodies, sections of which shew them to be 

 bounded on the outside by a wall formed of polygonal cells and 

 enclosing in their interior numerous grains." These round and 

 elliptical bodies are considered by Weiss to be sporangia full of 

 spores. After this description Weiss goes on to say that the 

 specimen must be regarded as a fruit-cone of Lomatophloios with 

 an internal structure comparable to that of Isoetes. The same 

 specimen is also briefly described in the Botan. Gentralblatt 2 . In 

 his small book on the coal-measure flora 3 Weiss gives a figure of 

 Lomatophloios macrolepidotus, which is described in the text as 

 a large cone under the name of Lepidostrobus macrolepidotus. 

 Solms-Laubach 4 refers to the description of the same fossil, as 

 given by Weiss, and, judging from the extraordinary size of the 

 axis, throws out the suggestion that in this case we probably have 

 a fructification which was borne on the leaves of the main stem, 

 and not on a fruit-bearing branch. Schenk 5 mentions Lepidophloios 

 macrolepidotus (Weiss) as an example of a cone with a very stout 

 axis, and probably belonging to Lepidophloios. Prof. Weiss has 

 unfortunately never published any figures to illustrate his descrip- 

 tion of the internal structure of this so-called Lomatophloios or 

 Lepidodendron fructification. When recently going through the 

 collection of fossil plants in the Berlin Bergakademie I saw the 

 specimen and also had an opportunity of examining micro- 

 scopically some of the prepared sections 6 . 



The microscopic characters are briefly noticed by Weiss : one 

 or two additional points may however be mentioned. On each of 

 the leaf-bases there is a small indentation (Plate III. fig. 4, i) 



1 Zeitschrift der deutschen geol. Gesell., Bel. xxxiii. p. 355. 



2 Botan. Gentralblatt., Vol. viii. p. 157. 



3 Flora der Steinkohlenformation, Fig. 33, and p. 7. 



4 Einleitung in die Paldophytologie, p. 241. 



5 Die fossilen Pflanzenreste, p. 70. 



6 I had access to the specimens through the kindness of Prof. Weiss. 



