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  53*] 
  ME 
  ' 
  A 
  ' 
  G 
  - 
  SEWAKD 
  OjS 
  t 
  cycadeoidea 
  gigantea. 
  31 
  

  

  Carruthers 
  thus 
  describes 
  the 
  occurrence 
  of 
  the 
  interpetiolar 
  

   scaly 
  structures 
  in 
  Bennettites 
  : 
  — 
  ' 
  A 
  very 
  dense 
  ramentum 
  clothed 
  

   the 
  under-surface 
  of 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  petiole, 
  which 
  was 
  developed 
  

   to 
  such 
  an 
  extent 
  as 
  to 
  separate 
  very 
  considerably 
  each 
  petiole 
  from 
  

   its 
  neighbour. 
  The 
  petrifying 
  material, 
  having 
  obtained 
  speedy 
  

   access 
  to 
  these 
  delicate 
  scales, 
  has 
  preserved 
  them 
  in 
  a 
  remarkably 
  

   perfect 
  condition.' 
  x 
  

  

  In 
  PI. 
  III. 
  fig. 
  5 
  a 
  single 
  ramentum 
  from 
  the 
  petiole 
  of 
  CyatJiea 
  

   excelsa, 
  Sw., 
  is 
  shown 
  in 
  transverse 
  section. 
  This 
  is 
  a 
  typical 
  

   example 
  of 
  a 
  fern-ramentum, 
  and 
  the 
  resemblance 
  to 
  the 
  corre- 
  

   sponding 
  structures 
  in 
  the 
  fossil 
  Cycad 
  is 
  obvious. 
  The 
  ramenta 
  of 
  

   ferns 
  are 
  occasionally 
  more 
  than 
  one 
  cell 
  thick, 
  as 
  in 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  

   fossil 
  Cycadean 
  petioles. 
  In 
  a 
  few 
  ferns, 
  e. 
  g. 
  Dicksonia 
  antarctica, 
  

   Lub., 
  and 
  Osmunda 
  regalis, 
  L., 
  2 
  the 
  paleae 
  have 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  cell- 
  

   filaments, 
  but 
  this 
  is 
  exceptional. 
  In 
  recent 
  Cycads, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  

   hand, 
  the 
  woolly 
  covering 
  which 
  is 
  conspicuous 
  on 
  the 
  bud-scales 
  

   and 
  leaf-stalk 
  bases 
  of 
  some 
  species 
  consists 
  of 
  very 
  long 
  hairs 
  com- 
  

   posed 
  almost 
  entirely 
  of 
  a 
  single 
  cell. 
  Buckland, 
  in 
  the 
  sixth 
  

   1 
  Eridgewater 
  Treatise,' 
  figured 
  a 
  section 
  through 
  the 
  basal 
  portion 
  

   of 
  a 
  recent 
  Cycad, 
  showing 
  the 
  woolly 
  epidermal 
  hairs, 
  comparable 
  

   to 
  the 
  outgrowths 
  from 
  the 
  fossil 
  leaf-stalks 
  (pi. 
  lxii.). 
  In 
  PI. 
  III. 
  

   fig. 
  6 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  long 
  hairs 
  of 
  Dioon 
  edule, 
  Lind., 
  is 
  

   represented 
  ; 
  it 
  consists 
  of 
  a 
  short, 
  thick-walled 
  stalk-cell 
  with 
  a 
  very 
  

   long 
  terminal 
  cell. 
  In 
  the 
  bud-scales 
  and 
  carpophylls 
  of 
  the 
  cone 
  

   of 
  the 
  same 
  species, 
  the 
  dense 
  covering 
  of 
  woolly 
  hairs 
  is 
  very 
  

   conspicuous. 
  Similar 
  hairs 
  occur 
  also 
  in 
  Macrozamia, 
  EncepJialartos, 
  

   and 
  other 
  recent 
  Cycads. 
  3 
  These 
  ramental 
  hairs 
  of 
  Cycads 
  and 
  the 
  

   chaffy 
  scales 
  of 
  fern-petioles 
  are 
  used 
  in 
  New 
  South 
  Wales 
  as 
  

   stuffing 
  for 
  cushions 
  and 
  known 
  as 
  ' 
  pulu.' 
  

  

  Reverting 
  to 
  the 
  terminal 
  bud 
  of 
  the 
  fossil 
  stem, 
  it 
  has 
  already 
  

   been 
  pointed 
  out 
  that 
  the 
  apex 
  is 
  covered 
  by 
  an 
  irregularly-shaped 
  

   cap 
  of 
  ramental 
  tissue. 
  In 
  fig. 
  4 
  (p. 
  32) 
  is 
  represented 
  the 
  apical 
  bud 
  

   of 
  a 
  large 
  plant 
  of 
  Encephalartos 
  Altensteinii, 
  Lehm., 
  in 
  the 
  Royal 
  

   Gardens, 
  Kew 
  ; 
  in 
  the 
  lower 
  portion 
  the 
  narrow 
  and 
  pointed 
  bud- 
  

   scales 
  are 
  clearly 
  shown, 
  but 
  the 
  summit 
  is 
  capped 
  by 
  a 
  loose 
  woolly 
  

   mass 
  of 
  long 
  brown 
  hairs. 
  4 
  The 
  resemblance 
  between 
  the 
  bud 
  of 
  

   the 
  recent 
  and 
  fossil 
  stems 
  is 
  particularly 
  striking. 
  A 
  few 
  months 
  

   after 
  the 
  photograph, 
  reproduced 
  in 
  fig. 
  4, 
  was 
  taken, 
  the 
  hairy 
  

   covering 
  and 
  bud-scales 
  were 
  seen 
  to 
  be 
  pushed 
  aside 
  by 
  the 
  elon- 
  

   gation 
  and 
  expansion 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  male 
  flower. 
  Whether 
  the 
  fossil 
  

   bud, 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  plant's 
  death, 
  contained 
  a 
  crown 
  of 
  unde- 
  

  

  1 
  Trans. 
  Linn. 
  Soc. 
  vol. 
  xxvi. 
  (1870), 
  p. 
  696. 
  

  

  2 
  Campbell, 
  ' 
  The 
  Structure 
  and 
  Development 
  of 
  the 
  Mosses 
  and 
  Ferns,' 
  

   1875, 
  p. 
  353. 
  See 
  also 
  De 
  Bary, 
  ' 
  Comparative 
  Anatomy,' 
  p. 
  64. 
  

  

  3 
  For 
  other 
  instances 
  of 
  the 
  occurrence 
  of 
  hairs 
  or 
  cell-laminae 
  on 
  the 
  leaves 
  

   of 
  fossil 
  Cycadean 
  plants, 
  see 
  ' 
  The 
  Wealden 
  Flora,' 
  vol. 
  ii. 
  (Brit. 
  Mus. 
  Cat. 
  

   1895), 
  ' 
  Se?mettites,' 
  passim. 
  See 
  also 
  Eichler 
  on 
  Cycadacea, 
  in 
  Engler 
  & 
  

   Prantl's 
  ' 
  Die 
  natiirlichen 
  Pflanzenfamilien,' 
  pt. 
  ii. 
  (1889). 
  

  

  4 
  My 
  thanks 
  are 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  Director 
  of 
  the 
  Royal 
  Gardens 
  for 
  permission 
  to- 
  

   have 
  photographs 
  prepared 
  for 
  comparison 
  with 
  the 
  fossil 
  plant. 
  

  

  