332 CTJPEESSINEAE [CH. 



tuberances on a scale at the apex of the cone may represent aborted 

 ovules though the nature of these is problematical. Near the base 

 of a cone-scale there is a single transversely elongated vascular 

 bundle which subdivides higher in the scale into a aeries of normally 

 orientated vascular strands, and in one scale a much smaller bundle, 

 probably an ovular trace, was found immediately above the main 

 strand. The parenchymatous ground-tissue contains a few sclerous 

 elements and several resin-canals, the larger ducfcs forming a series 

 across the scale, and near the base a single large canal occurs below 

 the broad vascular bundle as in Cunninghamia. Groups of trans- 

 fusion-tracheids occur between bhe vascular strands. 



The preservation of the tissues of the cone-axis is not good 

 enough to throw any light on the question of affinity and it is from 

 the morphology of the seedless scales that any conclusions must 

 be drawn. The cone-scales show no indication of a division into 

 the two organs characteristic of the Abietineae nor is there any 

 evidence of a ligular outgrowth like that of an Araucarian scale. 

 The resemblances in both form and anatomical characters to the 

 sporophylls of Cunninghamia exhibited by the fossil cone appear 

 to be such as to justify the employment of a generic name implying 

 close relationship. 



Cunninghamites Presl. 



The employment of this name by many authors for sterile 

 branches {e.g. fig. 805) superficially resembling foliage-shoots of 

 Cunninghamia sinensis suggests an affinity which is not supported 

 by any substantial evidence and while in some cases the fossils may 

 belong to plants closely allied to the recent genus, there is no 

 definite justification for assuming such alliance. The Lower 

 Cretaceous species of Cunninghamites and similar forms are there- 

 fore relegated to Halle's genus Elatodadus. 



MORICONIA. Debey and Bttingshausen. 



This generic name was appHed by Debey and Bttingshausen^ 

 to some obscure impressions from the Cretaceous beds of Aix-la- 

 Chapelle which they described as portions of a plant 'incerbae 

 sedis'; the specimens superficially resemble the pinnae of a fern 

 with broadly linear pinnules, but the occurrence of curved lines 



1 Debey and Bttingshausen (55) B. p. 239, PI. vii. figs. 23—27. 



