xxxvi] 



CYCADEOIDEA 



411 



out, the abundance of lateral fertile shoots among the leaf-bases 

 shows it to be essentially similar to Cycadeoidea Gibsoniana. 

 The type-specimen in the Dresden Museum is a splendid example 

 of a fossil cycadean stem; it is probably of Lower Cretaceous 

 age, but was found in Gahcia as an isolated specimen. It consists 

 of a portion of a cylindrical trunk similar in habit to C. gigantea, 

 •5 met. high and about the same in diameter. The pith, according 



Fid. 534. Cycadeoidea Reichenbachiana. Cup-like cavity on the stem allowing 

 the axis and surrounding bracts of a lateral fertile shoot. (After Schuster, 

 from a block kindly supplied by Prof. Rothpletz.) 



to Schuster^, is 13 cm. in diameter and the xylem 8 cm. broad. 

 There are many flowering shoots some of which are represented 

 by cup-like depressions, the base of the cup consisting of the 

 cylindrical axis and the sides bearing the impress of the encircling 

 bracts (fig. 534). Goeppert compared these lateral shoots with 

 the buds frequently produced on the stems of Cycas. It is 

 interesting to find that some of the cups correspond very closely 



1 Schuster (11). An excellent photograph of the stem is reproduced in this 

 paper. 



