180 Reviews. — Prof. Dana— On Palceozoic Botany. 



Saxony, and, later, Newberry, in Ohio, the winged fruits of the 

 genus Cardiocarpus (see Woodcut, Figs. 1, 2, 3), associated with 

 the leaves of C ordaites ; and both have regarded it as highly prob- 

 able that the fruit and leaves belong to the same plant. The nut- 

 like character of the fruit separates Cordaites widely from the Lepi- 

 dodendrids ; and the fact that the leaves fell from the trees bearing 

 them, instead of being persistent, and were simple instead of pinnate, 

 removes them from ordinary Cycads, and affiliates the genus with 

 Conifers, the other family of Gymnosperms. The South African 

 Conifer, 1 Welwitschia, has both the broad strap-like leaves of Cor- 

 daites, and also, as shown in Woodcut, Fig. 4, the winged fruit of 

 Cardiocarpus; sufficient to sustain the reference, of the leaves and 

 fruit to the Conifers, notwithstanding the anomalous character of the 

 African plant." (Dana, op. cit. p. 329.) 



It is not a little interesting to observe that in some " Notes on 

 Fossil Plants," by William Carruthers, F.E.S. (Geol. Mag. 1872, 

 Vol. IX. pp. 55-57), that gentleman has described two species of Car- 

 diocarpon, namely, C. Lindleyi, Carr., Coal Measures, Falkirk, and C. 

 anomalum, Carr., Coal M., Derbyshire. 



6 



Fig. 5. — Cardiocarpon Lindleyi, Carr., Coal Measures, Falkirk. 

 Fig. 6. — One of the fruits enlarged twice nat. size. 



Both these species have been described and figured by Mr. Car- 

 ruthers from specimens having the fruits attached to the plant, and 

 m Fig. 5 we reproduce C. Lindleiji, to show its close resemblance 

 to the American species C. bisectus (Fig. 2). 



We will refer our readers to Mr. Carruthers's admirable paper 

 (which appears to have escaped Prof. Dana's eye), merely quoting 

 the following : — " The aspect of the fruit, as it is ordinarily pre- 

 served, agrees remarkably with that of a single fruit of Welwitschia. 

 It has an apparently winged pericarp, inclosing a seed, the integu- 

 ment of which is produced into a styliform process, that passes 

 through a canal in the pericarp. But the thickened pericarp suggests 

 a Taxineous fruit, with which, from the description I have given, it 

 will be seen that it has many points in common. In Taxinece, how- 

 ever, the fruit is terminal, generally solitary and sessile, with a more 



1 We cannot agree with. Prof. Dana in speaking of Welwitschia as a Conifer. The 

 order Gnetacece, to which it belongs, being separated by well-marked characters from 

 the Coi dfet ce. 



