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SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXIX. No. 733 



compact strobili of open microsporophylls 

 and megasporophylls upon the microphyl- 

 lous, solid-woody sporophyte. 



I regard the cone-bearers proper — Tax- 

 odiaceae, Araucariaceae, Aiietaceae, Cu- 

 pressaceae, etc., as more primitive, and that 

 from these have sprung such specialized 

 forms as Podocarpaceae, Phyllocladaceae 

 and Taxaceae. 



From the Cycadophyta came also the 

 fifteenth phylum — 



15. Anthophyta, in which the dominant 

 idea is the closure of the megasporophyll, 

 and the transformation of the plain stro- 

 bilus into the ornamental flower. 



I am very glad to be able to suggest the 

 restoration of the wholly appropriate name 

 — Anthophyta — for this phylum. As I 

 conceive this immense group, it is rather 

 sharply divided into three secondary 

 phyla which diverge from a common point 

 of beginning— the so-called "Ranalian 

 plexus." Two of these secondary phyla 

 are dicotyledonous, while the third is mono- 

 eotyledonous. The first culminates in the 

 mints (Lamiales), the second in the sun- 

 flowers (Asterales) and the third in the 

 orchids ( Orchidales ) . 



With regard to the relationship of the 

 four phyla last named many facts have 

 been brought to light during the past few 

 years, which have quite materially modified 

 the generally prevailing theories. With 

 the publication of Wieland's epoch-ma- 

 king book on American cycads' attention 

 has been centered upon the primitive 

 cycads as the group of gymnosperms from 

 which the angiosperms must have sprung. 

 It is no longer a tenable hypothesis that 

 the conifers are allied to the Amentiferae, 

 as has long been held by many botanists. 

 It is no longer necessary to begin the 

 phylogeny of angiosperms with apetalous 

 forms so as to make easier the passage 



' " American Fossil Cyeads," by G. R. Wieland, 

 1906. 



from Coniferae. In fact, for many years 

 there have been those who held that apet- 

 alous plants are not primitive, but on the 

 contrary have been derived from petalous 

 forms by reduction. Sixty years ago or 

 more Jussieu hinted at the real nature of 

 apetalous plants^ and suggested the primi- 

 tive nature of the Ranales, and consistently 

 placed the Compositae at the summit of 

 his system. 



In the vice-presidential address* which I 

 had the honor of delivering before this sec- 

 tion fifteen years ago, after a careful ex- 

 amination of the families in the so-called 

 Apetalae the conclusion was reached that 

 "when we search for families in the Apet- 

 alae which may satisfy the requirements 

 of a primitive group from which the dico- 

 tyledons may have evolved, we find none 

 which will serve our purpose." Following 

 the hint of Jussieu, the attempt was made 

 to distribute the apetalous families among 

 polypetalous and gamopetalous orders. A 

 revision of the monocotyledonous and dicot- 

 yledonous orders was made so as to bring 

 the apocarpous families near the beginning 

 (lowest) point. Thus the water-plantains 

 (AUsmales) were given the first (lowest) 

 place among monocotyledons, and butter- 

 cups {Bandies) and roses (Bosales) similar 

 places among dicotyledons. From the 

 water plantains (Alismales) a phyletic line 

 was traced through the lilies {Liliales) to 

 the modified (simplified) calla lilies {Aroi- 

 dales), palms (Palmales) and grasses 

 {Graminales) , which form lateral offshoots 

 of the main line, and then onward from 

 lilies {Liliales) through irises {Iridales) 

 to orchids {Orchidales) . In like manner a 

 phyletic line was traced from buttercups 

 {Banales) to pinks {Caryophyllales),-pTim.- 



° " The Elements of Botany," by Adrien de 

 Jussieu; translated by Wilson, 1848, p. 543. 



° Proceedings of the American Association for 

 the Advancement of Science, Vol. XLII., 1893, 

 p. 245. 



