210 PROTOPITYBAE [CH. 



resembles Cladoxylon. The opinion expressed by P. Bertrand^ 

 that Volkelia is probably the stem of one of the Zygopterideae 

 is based on the older accounts of the genus and not on the fuller 

 description of 1910. 



PROTOPITYBAE. 



Protopitys. Goeppert. 



The only species so far described is that for which Goeppert 

 founded the genus in 1850, substituting Protopitys^ for the name 

 Araucarites, adopted in an earlier paper, on the ground that the 

 structure of the xylem denoted a distinct generic type. The type- 

 species is from the Upper Devonian rocks of Falkenberg in Silesia. 



Protopitys Buchiana Goeppert. 



1845. Araiicarites Buchianus Goeppert, in Wimmer's Plor. Schlesien (edit. 



II.) p. 218. 

 1847. Pinites Goepperti Unger, Chlor. Protog. p. 31. 

 1847. Dadoxylon Buchianum Endlicher, Syn. Conit. p. 300. 

 1850. Protopitys Buchiana Goeppert, Foss. Conif. p. 229, PI. xxxvn. figs. 



4^7; PI. XXXVIII. figs. 1, 2. 



In his Monograph of Fossil Conifers Goeppert figured a large 

 piece of stem consisting mainly of secondary wood and described 

 the more important anatomical features. He recognised the 

 narrow, transversely elongated, pits on the radial walls of the 

 tracheids as a feature of special interest indicating a type of pitting 

 transitional between that of Ferns and Conifers. A further 

 description was given by Kraus* who included under Goeppert's 

 name both the Falkenberg stem and a second specimen from Basel 

 though the latter is Triassic in age and a distinct plant ; he sug- 

 gested a comparison of Protopitys with Sigillaria and Stigmaria 

 rather than with Conifers. It is, however, to Graf Solms-Laubach* 

 that we owe the most thorough account of this species. Nothing 

 is known of the leaves or reproductive organs. The largest piece 

 of stem is nearly 1 ft in diameter and consists mainly of secondary 

 xylem resembUng that of Conifers and Cordaites except in the 



1 P. Bertrand (08). 



2 The name Palaeopitys, with which Protopitys might be confused, was used 

 by McNab for an imperfect specimen from the Old Red Sandstone of Scotland 

 described as Palaeopitys MiUeri; McNab (70). 



3*Kraus (92). . « Solms-Laubach (93). 



