J. Starkie Gardner — Mesozoic Angiosperms. 195 



problematic plant, of which the outline at least is perfectly known, 

 is the CEthophyllum speciosum, Sch. and Moug., from the Trias of the 

 Vosges. It possessed linear leaves, with fine linear veins without 

 mid-rib, which are decurrent and grouped by threes on a woody and 

 branching stem. The branches are terminated by cylindrical and 

 more or less elongated spikes, whose scales or bracts bore smooth 

 shining seeds in their axils. These spikes were imperfectly articu- 

 lated at the base and furnished at that point by a ring of palese or 

 hairs, and were probably caducous. 1 It has been suggested by 

 several writers that CEthophyllum may be allied to the Typhacece, 

 and though it is by no means even certain that they belong to the 

 Monocotyledons at all, it appears difficult to avoid regarding them 

 with interest as at least possible " pro-angiospermic " types. Certain 

 fruit-spikes from the same formation were named Echinostachys by 

 Brongniart. 



Synchronous with the last, and also common to the Jurassics, are 

 narrow ribbon-like leaves known as Yuccites, Sch. and Moug., five 

 species of which are described by Zigno. 2 They are broad or 

 narrow linear leaves, with entire margin, and without mid-rib, with 

 fine longitudinal veins united by transverse veinlets and sessile or 

 amplexicaul base. As stated by Schimper, 3 " It is useless to remark 

 that these fossils may proceed from very different types, and perhaps 

 without real analogy with the living type to which we compare 

 them." They most resemble the leaves of Draccena or Fourcroya. 



In the Rhastic we meet for the first time with the remarkable organism 

 known as Williamsonia, a fossil familiar to us from its not uncommon 

 occurrence in the Oolite of Yorkshire. It appears to have been 

 figured first as a flower i in Bird's Yorkshire, pi. ii. fig. 6, associated 

 with Zamites, and later by Mantell in 1844, Medals of Creation, 

 vol. i. p. 161, as the fruit of Zamites lanceolata, in consequence of a 

 conjecture by Lindley that the supposed petals were scales and the 

 stamen and pistil the fractured axis. It was first described by Prof. 

 Williamson in a communication to the Linnean Society, 6 in 1868, and 

 was named after the Professor by Carruthers ; but at that time it was 

 considered that the Cycadean foliage associated with it, and known 

 as Zamites gigas, might very probably belong to the same plant. 

 The fructification is very rarely attached to stems with spirally arranged 

 leaves, and to such stems and the fruit the genus is now restricted. 

 It seems no longer possible to regard it as even an utterly abnormal 

 Cycad, and the question therefore arises as to whether Saporta and 

 Marion have sufficient grounds for ranking it among their "pro- 

 Angiosperms." Mr. Carruthers and Prof. Williamson appear uncer- 

 tain as to which section of the vegetable kingdom it should enrich, 

 while Dr. Nathorst advances the rather untenable proposal to place 

 it in Balanophoracece, a small natural order of succulent leaf-less, 



1 Schimper and Mougeot, Monogr. d. pi. foss. du Gres bigarre, p. 39, pi. xix. xx. 



2 Flora foss. forma, oolithicae, i.-iv. 



3 Pal. vegetale, vol. ii. p. 427. 



4 A closed bud is apparently figured as a nut, pi. iii. fig. 7. 



5 Linn. Trans, p. 6b3, pis. 52 and 53. 



