260 ARATJCARINEAE [CH^ 



Araucarites hespera Wieland. This type is described by Wie- 

 land^ from a specimen obtained from Upper Cretaceous rocks in 

 South Dakota consisting of half an eroded cone bearing scales 

 with small seeds. Wieland's description, though brief and facking 

 details, and the photograph support his conclusion as to the 

 Araucarian affinity of the specimen. 



The generic name Doliostrohus was instituted by Marion^ for 

 specimens of foliage-shoots from Oligocene beds in the South of 

 France agreeing with Araucarites Sternbergii, on the ground that 

 the reproductive organs exhibit features more like those charac- 

 teristic of Agathis than Araucaria. Laurent* refers a small piece 

 of a foliage-shoot from the Aqmtanian beds in the Puy-de-D6me to 

 Doliostrohus Sternbergii, though there is no information with regard 

 to the cones. Gardner* describes branches from the Bembridge 

 marls in the Isle of Wight as Doliostrohus Sternbergii (Goepp.) and 

 accepts Marion's conclusion as to the intermediate character of the 

 genus : the foliage-shoots, though rather more slender than those 

 from Bournemouth referred by him to Araucaria Goepperti, are 

 exactly similar in habit and cannot be distinguished by any feature 

 of importance. Gardner reproduces a drawing communicated by 

 Marion of a foliage-shoot bearing a terminal cone-axis from which 

 the scales have fallen, also several detached cone-scales, agreeing 

 closely in size and shape with scales of Araucaria excelsa and other 

 recent species, and an impression described as a seed with a 

 lateral wing. The supposed seed has, however, a terminal wing 

 and moreover it is as large as the detached scales : it is permissible 

 to suggest that it may be an imperfectly preserved cone-scale, 

 but without examining the actual specimen any definite assertion 

 would be hazardous. Gardner states that a reason for comparing 

 the scales with those of an Araucaria is that in Agathis the scales 

 are persistent, but as pointed out elsewhere^ cones of Agathis 

 very readily fall to pieces and the scales easily become detached 

 from the axis. Having regard to the nature of the sterile shoots, 

 the form of the cone, as shown in a drawing published by Gardner 

 of a specimen sent to him by Bttingshausen from Haring, and an 



1 Wieland (08") p. 4, fig. 1. 



2 Marion (84). 3 Laurent (12) PI. v. fig. 7. 



" Gardner (86) p. 9.3, Pla. xxn., xxni. = Seward and Ford (06) B. p. 359. 



