﻿Yol. 
  53.] 
  ME. 
  A. 
  C. 
  SEWAKD 
  ON 
  CYCADEOIDEA 
  GIOANTEA. 
  35 
  

  

  with, 
  and 
  slightly 
  external 
  to, 
  that 
  shown 
  in 
  fig. 
  16. 
  In 
  the 
  second 
  

   section, 
  fig. 
  17, 
  in 
  place 
  of 
  the 
  solid 
  group 
  of 
  tissue, 
  we 
  find 
  a 
  

   number 
  of 
  long, 
  narrow, 
  and 
  irregularly- 
  shaped 
  structures, 
  more 
  

   clearly 
  seen 
  in 
  fig. 
  19, 
  which 
  are 
  no 
  doubt 
  young 
  leaves 
  spirally 
  

   arranged 
  round 
  the 
  axis, 
  ax. 
  The 
  whole 
  group 
  is 
  7 
  mm. 
  in 
  length. 
  

   The 
  leaf-sections 
  consist 
  of 
  parenchyma 
  containing 
  many 
  secretory 
  

   cells, 
  and 
  external 
  to 
  these 
  bract-like 
  appendages 
  there 
  occur 
  

   numerous 
  ramenta. 
  The 
  entire 
  structure 
  is 
  evidently 
  a 
  bud 
  cut 
  

   across 
  somewhat 
  obliquely. 
  Finally, 
  in 
  fig. 
  18, 
  the 
  bud 
  is 
  no 
  longer 
  

   visible, 
  but 
  its 
  position 
  is 
  indicated 
  by 
  the 
  twisted 
  and 
  sinuous 
  form 
  

   of 
  the 
  ramenta, 
  which 
  suggests 
  — 
  to 
  use 
  a 
  far-fetched 
  simile 
  — 
  the 
  

   swirling 
  eddies 
  of 
  water 
  over 
  a 
  sunken 
  rock. 
  The 
  apex 
  of 
  the 
  bud 
  

   was 
  no 
  doubt 
  clothed 
  with 
  ramental 
  appendages, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  these 
  

   covering 
  and 
  protecting 
  structures 
  that 
  are 
  seen 
  at 
  b' 
  in 
  fig. 
  18. 
  

   The 
  oval 
  section 
  b 
  in 
  fig. 
  16 
  may 
  be 
  regarded, 
  therefore, 
  as 
  the 
  

   stalk 
  of 
  a 
  small 
  and 
  apparently 
  vegetative 
  bud, 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  indi- 
  

   vidual 
  leaves 
  are 
  shown 
  in 
  fig. 
  17 
  b 
  and 
  fig. 
  19. 
  The 
  whole 
  structure 
  

   is 
  evidently 
  a 
  dormant 
  and 
  aborted 
  lateral 
  bud. 
  In 
  recent 
  Cycads 
  

   such 
  lateral 
  shoots 
  are 
  often 
  seen 
  in 
  species 
  of 
  Cycas, 
  1 
  and 
  less 
  

   commonly 
  in 
  Eneephalartos 
  and 
  other 
  genera. 
  It 
  is 
  indeed 
  possible 
  

   that 
  the 
  bud 
  may 
  be 
  that 
  of 
  an 
  inflorescence, 
  but 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  

   decisive 
  evidence 
  as 
  to 
  its 
  exact 
  nature. 
  

  

  A 
  plant 
  of 
  Eneephalartos 
  Altensteinii 
  in 
  the 
  Palm 
  House 
  at 
  Kew 
  

   shows 
  a 
  large 
  lateral 
  branch 
  bearing 
  a 
  well- 
  developed 
  crown 
  of 
  

   leaves. 
  Zamia 
  Skinneri, 
  Warsz., 
  and 
  other 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  

   genus, 
  afford 
  striking 
  examples 
  of 
  branched 
  Cycadean 
  stems. 
  

  

  In 
  a 
  recent 
  revision 
  of 
  Buckland's 
  genus 
  Cycadeoidea, 
  Lester 
  

   Ward 
  2 
  has 
  included 
  in 
  that 
  comprehensive 
  generic 
  designation 
  

   Carruthers's 
  genus 
  Bennettites. 
  There 
  are, 
  however, 
  certain 
  reasons, 
  

   as 
  shown 
  by 
  Solms-Laubach, 
  which 
  favour 
  his 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  

   Bennettites, 
  according 
  to 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  restricted 
  to 
  such 
  stems 
  as 
  

   possess 
  undoubted 
  inflorescences 
  of 
  the 
  type 
  described 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  

   B. 
  Gibsonianus? 
  Without 
  entering 
  further 
  into 
  this 
  question 
  of 
  

   nomenclature, 
  there 
  can 
  be 
  little 
  doubt 
  that 
  Cycadeoidea 
  is 
  the 
  

   most 
  appropriate 
  generic 
  name 
  for 
  the 
  stem 
  described 
  in 
  the 
  present 
  

   paper. 
  It 
  is 
  proposed 
  to 
  name 
  the 
  specimen 
  Cycadeoidea 
  gigantea. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  diagnosis 
  is 
  necessarily 
  incomplete, 
  as 
  the 
  pre- 
  

   servation 
  of 
  the 
  specimen 
  is 
  not 
  such 
  as 
  to 
  permit 
  of 
  a 
  thorough 
  

   investigation 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  Genus 
  Cycadeoidea, 
  Buckland, 
  1827. 
  

  

  Cycadeoidea 
  gigantea, 
  sp. 
  nov. 
  Type 
  specimen 
  in 
  the 
  British 
  

   Museum. 
  (No. 
  V. 
  3454.) 
  Acquired 
  Oct. 
  1895. 
  From 
  the 
  Upper 
  

   Purbeck, 
  Isle 
  of 
  Portland. 
  

  

  Stem 
  terminating 
  in 
  an 
  apical 
  bud, 
  covered 
  with 
  long 
  and 
  narrow 
  

  

  1 
  Groppert 
  in 
  1844 
  figured 
  a 
  good 
  example 
  of 
  such 
  buds 
  in 
  a 
  paper 
  on 
  fossil 
  

   Cycads, 
  Schles. 
  Gesellsch. 
  Denkschr. 
  1853, 
  p. 
  251. 
  In 
  bis 
  figure 
  of 
  Raumeria, 
  

   Schulziana, 
  Gropp. 
  (pi. 
  yii), 
  the 
  ramenta 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  form 
  as 
  those 
  

   figured 
  in 
  PI. 
  III. 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  paper. 
  

  

  2 
  Ward, 
  Proc. 
  Biol. 
  Soc. 
  Washington, 
  vol. 
  ix. 
  (1894) 
  p. 
  75. 
  

  

  3 
  Cat. 
  Brit, 
  Mus. 
  • 
  Wealden 
  Flora,' 
  vol. 
  ii. 
  (1895) 
  p. 
  139. 
  

  

  d2 
  

  

  