1915] AASE—MEGASPOROPHYLLS OF CONIFERS 289 . 
Between the ovules of the lower sporophylls is found an out- 
growth which suggests an ovule with a poorly developed nucellus. 
At each side of and behind this median outgrowth are others which 
are more bractlike. In some of these xylem cells are present. 
Whether these abnormal excrescences mean reversions to ancestral 
features may be difficult to determine. The young strobilus shows 
no such outgrowths. 
CUPRESSINEAE 
The general features of the ovulate strobilus in the Cupressineae 
are the great reduction in the number of the sporophylls, the cyclic 
arrangement of the sporophylls, complete coalescence of bract 
and scale, and erect ovules variable in number. 
The strobilus of Cupressus Benthamii (figs. 58-70) is composed 
of four decussate pairs of sporophylls. Many erect ovules are 
packed at the base of each sporophyll. At the megaspore mother 
cell stage the only evidence of the scale is a slight elevation back 
of the ovules and the differentiation of the scale supply near the 
strobilus cylinder. In somewhat later stages the free part of the 
scale projects outward almost as prominently as that of the bract. 
Contact and interlocking of epidermal cells takes place between 
neighboring sporophylls in such a way that the ovules become 
entirely inclosed. 
The vascular anatomy is slightly variable in the individual 
sporophylls of a strobilus. As in other cyclic forms, the cylinder 
gap fails to close after the departure of the appendage vascular 
supply, and hence is continuous with the one above and below. 
The bract supply may arise as a single strand at one side of the 
continuous gap, or as two, one from each side of the gap, in which 
latter case the two unite into one. The scale supply originates as 
two bundles, one from each side some distance above the bract 
supply. In other cases two bundles, one from each side of the gap, 
compose both bract and scale supply. A strand may be given off 
from one of the bundles to form the bract bundle, or a strand may 
be given off from each bundle and the two strands unite to form the 
bract bundle. Whatever may be the origin, the bract bundle 
remains undivided to the tip of the bract. The scale bundles divide 
