li] CUNNINGHAMITES 433 



those examined showing similar epidermal characters were certain 

 seedlings of the Retinospora type. Miss Holden recognises that 

 Retinosporites suggests relationship to such recent Cupressineous 

 species as are included under the genus Retinospora, but she states 

 that no such imphcation is intended. The new designation, though 

 not very happily chosen, may be retained for shoots with linear 

 leaves (fig. 803) without a midrib and having the stomatal features 

 described in Miss Holden's account of R. indica. 



Retinosporites indica (Oldham and Morris). 



An Indian species originally described by Oldham and Morris 

 as Taxites indicus and transferred 



by Feistmantel to Palissya. ' The ^ A yC^ 



leaves are linear and decurrent •^^ ' ' - "^^^ 



(fig. 803, A) and without a midrib. 

 The epidermal cells have straight 

 walls and the stdmata, though oc- 

 casionally present on the upper 

 surface, are scattered on the lower 



epidermis as in the Retinospora — -^ , , . 



foUage of Thuya or Juniperus, *->->' / 



without any indication of a median ^^ ^^ setinosporites Mica. A, piece 

 astomatic region such as one would of shoot; B, stoma. (After R. Holden.) 

 expect in leaves possessing a mid- 

 rib. There are generally six accessory cells and the guard-cells are 

 sunk below the level of the epidermis (fig. 803, B). 



Sterile foliage-shoots formerly referred to the genus 

 Cunninghamites. 

 PresP gave the name Cunninghamites to some sterile shoots 

 from Ehaetic and Lower Cretaceous strata on the ground of their 

 resemblance to branches of Cunninghamia and both his specimens 

 and the large number, particularly from Cretaceous beds, referred 

 by authors to Presl's genus afford no real evidence of affinity to 

 the recent Conifer. The type-species Cunninghamites oxycedrus, 

 from Lower Cretaceous rocks in Saxony, is probably identical with 

 Corda's species Cunninghamia elegans (fig. 804) from Lower Creta- 

 ceous beds in Bohemia. Presl also included in Cunninghamites 

 1 Sternberg (38) A. PI. XLvm. fig. 3; Goeppert (50) PI. xlvii. 

 S. IV 28 



