472 coxiFEE^. [Tim-us. 



[Subclass II. Gymnosperm^.*] 

 " Seeds quite naked." — {Gymnogens). — Bab. Man. 



Order LXXI. CONIFEKiE, Juss. 



"Monoecious or dioecious, without a perianth. Barren floiuers 

 in a deciduous catkin ; scales peltate or erect, shortly stalked or 

 sessile, bearing near the base at the edge, or on the under side, 2 

 or more distinct anther-cells (2 or more monadelphous stamens, 

 each with a single 1-celled anther?). — Fertile powers generally in 

 many- or few-flowered cones, sometimes solitary." — Br. Fl. 



I. Taxus, Linn. Yew. 



" Dioecious. Barren flowers in oval catkins, surrounded at the 

 base with imbricated bracteas, of which the inner ones are larger ; 

 scales crowded, peltate, with 3 — 8 anther-cells on the lower sur- 

 face.' — Fertile flower a solitary erect ovule, seated on a fleshy disk, 

 with a few imbricated scales at the base. Seed solitary, bony, 

 contained in an open fleshy cup-shaped receptacle, resembling a 

 drupe." — Br. Fl. 



+ 1. T. baccata, L. Common Yew. " Leaves 2-ranked crowded 

 linear acute, flowers axiUary sessile." — Br. Fl. p. 408. E. B. t. 

 746. 



In steep hilly and rocky woods, and on chalky downs ; a very rare and doubtful 

 native of the Isle of Wight, i^i. March, April, i^r. October, November ? Tj. 



A few trees on the slope of the down above Nunwell, possibly planted. 



A large tree, of no great height but often of vast circumference, and of very 

 slow growth, the branches long, spreading, and often drooping at their extremi- 

 ties, ascending or suberect. Leaves numerous, scattered, distichous, spreading in 

 opposite directions, narrowly linear-elliptical, quite glabrous, about 8 — 10 lines in 

 length and 1 line in breadth, thick and fleshy, dark green, shining and somewhat 

 convex above, paler and flat beneath, the margins slightly thickened, each surface 

 with a prominent midrib ending in a small, weak, brown point at the apex, and 

 produced with the base of the leaf into a very short subcompressed footstalk. 

 Staminate flowers in solitary, axillary, drooping, subglobose, nearly sessile clusters. 

 Anthers numerous, forming a spherical head on a short stalk or column formed by 

 their yxwieA filaments, yellowish, peltate, 6-, 6-, or 8?-lohed and as many celled ; 

 pollen very copious, yellowish white. 



I introduce this species, but with considerable doubt, because it is one so pre- 

 valent and truly indigenous on all the chalky downs of Sussex, Hampshire and 

 Wilts, though wanting on those of this island, except in the above single locality, 



* [In the author's MS. this subclass had received no designation. As corre- 

 sponding or rather contrasting with the name of this first subclass (see page 1), 

 we have ventured on supplying that in the text above, as probably that which he 

 had intended. — JEdrs.'] 



