318 CUPRBSSINEAE [CH. 



Brachyphyllum. Scliimperi included Sternberg's species in Echino- 

 strobus and Saporta^ adopted the designation Palaeocyparis. The 

 small amount of evidence with regard to the structure of the cones 

 does not afford an adequate reason for retaining the generic name 

 Thuites. 



Specimens from Jurassic rocks in India described by Feist- 

 manteP (fig. 755) as Echinostrohus expansus, superficially at least 

 very similar to the European Thuites expansus, have recently been 

 examined by Miss Holden*. The epidermal cells of the small 

 decussate leaves are irregular in shape; the stomata are scattered 

 but there is an astomatic area down the centre of the lamina. 

 The stomata are sunk and have four accessory cells. Miss Holden 

 points out that the epidermal features of this Indian type are 

 different from those of Brachyphyllum macrocarpum, B. Miinsteri 

 and B. affine^ in which rows of stomata alternate with strands of 

 sclerenchyma ; this difference is legitimately used as an argument 

 in favour of retaining the generic name Thuites rather than em- 

 ploying Brachyphyllum. It is, Tiowever, as a rule impossible to 

 obtain any information with regard to the cuticular features, and 

 from the external characters of impressions of foliage-shoots we 

 cannot draw any satisfactory line between specimens referred 

 to Brachyphyllum and Thuites. Miss Holden's work affords an 

 illustration of the possibility of employing epidermal features as 

 a means of separating shoots which in habit appear to belong to 

 one generic type. So far as I know we have no data with regard 

 to the epidermal structure of the European Thuites expansus and 

 we cannot therefore say whether the Indian species are identical or 

 not with those included in the same species from other regions. 



In habit Brachyphyllum expansum agrees with B. mamillare and 

 other types as also with recent species of Thuya and Cupressus : in 

 some examples the branchlets are crowded and in others the 

 ramification is much more open; the small appressed leaves are 

 broadly triangular or longer and relatively narrower than in such 



1 Sohimper (72) A. p. 333. ' ' Saporta (84) p. 600, PI. 209. 



3 Feistmantel (76^) p. 6!), Pis. ix., x. 



* Ho]den, R. (15^) p. 221, PI. xi. figs. 2, 5, 6. The specimens examined were 

 kindly sent to the Cambridge Botany School by the Director of the Indian Geo- 

 logical Surrey. 



6 Hollick and Jeffrey (09) B.; Schenk (67) A. 



