98 W. Carruthers — New Cycadean Fruit. 



The diagnosis of the genus and species is as follows : — 



Beania, gen, nov. Female fruit composed of scales arranged in 

 loose spikes ; scales stalked and peltate, supporting two ovoid sessile 

 seeds, one on each side of the pedicel. 



Beania gracilis, sp. nov. Axis of the female inflorescence slender ; 

 scales on slender stalks placed at right angles to the axis, peltate, 

 apex of the scale small, scarcely covering the ripe seeds ; seeds 

 sessile, ovoid, slightly acuminate at the apex, symmetrically arranged 

 on the two sides of the pedicel, reflexed. 



Locality. — From the Oolitic Shale of Gristhorpe, near Scarborough, 

 Yorkshire. 



These characters show that this fossil belongs to that section of 

 the order Cycadece, which was included in the Linnean genus Zamia. 

 In the progress of discovery, this genus has gradually been broken 

 up into nine distinct genera, arranged in two or more tribes (accord- 

 ing to the views of different authors) based upon characters derived 

 chiefly from the internal structure of the stem, but all agreeing in 

 having the female fruits composed of two-seeded peltate scales ar- 

 ranged in cones. Beania agrees in every particular with the female 

 strobilus of Zamia, as may be seen by comparing the fossil with the 

 section of the cone of Z. muricata, PL IV., Fig. 3, except that the 

 apices of the scales are not adpressed, but the scales are scattered 

 over the axis so as to form a very loose spike. There is, however, a 

 recent form, [Microcycas, D.C.,) which, according to De Candolle, in 

 his lately published monograph of this Order in the Prodromus 

 (Vol. xvi., sect. 2, p. 538), differs from the other genera in having 

 the scales of the female cone " loosely juxtaposed." In Beania 

 this character is still more pronounced, so as to produce an in- 

 florescence, which cannot be called a strobilus. 



A small and very imperfect fragment of Beania was figured by 

 Lindley and Hutton on the same plate with their Sphcereda paradoxa, 

 Fossil Flora, Plate 159. This fragment is of itself sufficient to show 

 that it had nothing to do with Splioireda, but it is obviously too im- 

 perfect to give any information as to its true affinities. There are 

 no seeds preserved, and only three of the pedicels retain traces of 

 their peltate apices. Dr. Lindley had not examined the specimens. 

 He only prints the descriptions supplied by Dr. Murray and Mr. 

 (now Prof.) Williamson, jun. Dr. Murray's description refers to 

 the Splicereda ; and Prof. Williamson thus describes the specimen 

 of Beania which was confounded with it — " The stems of the smaller 

 specimens are striated, and the lateral branches appear to have been 

 terminated by a kind of round or oval leaf, which is one homo- 

 geneous mass of carbon, without the least appearances of any regu- 

 lar veins or strise either in the stems or leaves. The carbon is 

 excessively thick, instead of being in thin laminae as in most vege- 

 table impressions." This description exactly agrees with what is 

 seen in the specimen I have just described, and the explanation of 

 those appearances, so anomalous to Prof. Williamson, is evident 

 when the structure is properly understood, by the aid of the more 

 perfect specimen now figured herewith. 



