J/J 



THE GENUS HGATHIS. 



Salisb. in Trans. Linn. Soc, viii., 311, t. 15, non Gaertn. 



I. HISTORICAL. 



This name is adopted in this work, following the example of Bentham and 

 Hooker in "Genera Plantarum," bnt for want of literature it is difficult to express 

 an opinion as to whether Rumphius's name of Dammara should claim priority. 

 Baron von Mueller, 2nd Cens. i88g, uses Rumphius's name Dammara, 1741, as 

 against Salisbury's Agathis, 1807. 



Only two species occur in Australia and these are found in the dense forests 

 of the Queensland coast. They are lofty trees, having spirally arranged, flat 

 leaves, similar to their congeners in New Zealand, Fiji, New Caledonia, Malay 

 Archipelago, Brazil, and Chili. 



Ettingshausen (I.e. pp. 98 et gg, pi. viii) records two species of Dammara 

 from the Tertiary period occurring at Tingha, N.S.Wales. 



II. SYSTEMATIC. 



The flowers are dioecious, the amenta being sessile or nearly so Male 

 amentum catkin-like, axillary or lateral, surrounded by a few imbricate scales at 

 the base ; the microsporophylls occur in a close spiral series, each being dilated 

 at the top and slightly incurved. Microsporangia numerous, cylindrical, pendulous. 

 Female amentum globose, terminal or lateral, macrosporophylls spirally arranged, 

 continuous with imbricate scales at the base. Macrosporangia solitary, pendulous. 

 Fruit cone medium size, ovoid-globular, macrosporophylls closely imbricate, 

 deciduous, flattened, broadly cuneate, more or less winged, almost woody. Seeds 

 oblong-cuneate, flattened, truncate or emarginate at the end, one margin pro- 

 duced into a horizontal, erect, or decurved wing. 



