Carruthers — On Fossil Coniferous Fruits. 535 



referred to Cycadece, and this is not to be wondered at, as in orders 

 so nearly allied, and in both of which the female flower is evidently 

 constructed on the same plan, difficulty in discrimination might be 

 expected. There are, however, characters by which they can easily 

 be separated, and an exposition of these will enable the reader to 

 appreciate the reasons why, in the sequel, I remove some cones 

 to Coniferce, hitherto referred to Cycadea. 



The Cycadean fruit is of m.ore simple structure than that of 

 Coniferce. In Cycas the female spadix is a contracted leaf bearing 

 seeds on its margins. If the fruit-bearing leaf or spadix be con- 

 sidered the representative of the corresponding organs which bear 

 the seed in the other Cycadece, we find that in all the other genera of 

 the order, the spadices are converted into peltate or flat pedicellate 

 scales, spirally arranged around a common axis, and forming a cone. 

 The pedicels of the scales are placed at a right angle to the axis, or 

 very nearly so, and in all the genera, except Dion,^ the scales are 

 peltate, and not imbricate. Each spadix or scale supports two seeds 

 which hang free from the peltate apex (Plate XX, Figs. 9 and 10), 

 on either side of the pedicel. In Dion the spadices are flat scales 



Scale of Dion edule, Lindl. from a cone in Kew Museum, 

 a., Young seed. b. Sear from which a seed has been torn. 



forming an imbricated cone, which Lindley, the author of the genus, 

 says, is " almost undistinguishable " from the cone of Araucaria. 

 We can scarcely see any point that the two cones have in common, 

 except that they are cones. The Araucarian cone has firm, sessile, 

 smooth scales, each bearing a single adnate seed, while in the cone of 

 JDion, the scales are composed of lax tissue, pedicellate, and covered 

 with a dense and copious wool, and each supports two free seeds. 



Three kinds of fruit are found in the Coniferce. First, The cone 

 of the AbietinecB, composed of imbricated sessile scales, generally 

 regarded as flat and open carpels, each of which bears one or 

 two seeds, lying on its surface, at or towards the base, and is 

 subtended by another scale, considered to be a bract. Second, The 

 cone of the Gupressinece, composed of indurated peltate scales, or, 

 sometimes fleshy, with the scales concreted so as to form a kind of 

 drupe. One or more winged seeds are supported on e'ach scale. 

 Thirdly, The drupaceous or nut-like fruit of Taxinece, with its single 



^ Lindley spelled this word Dion, omitting the second o, after the example of the 

 ancients— as, tor example, 'eiruaafihs, (Aristotle, Hist. Anim.) Dioon is therefore in- 

 correct. 



