208 LYCOPODIALES [CH. 



stormy past^" In 1872 the same author had written : " If then 

 I am correct in thus bringing the Lepidodendra and Sigillariae 

 into such close affinity, there is an end of M. Brongniart's theory, 

 that the latter were gymnospermous exogens, because the crypto- 

 gamic character of the former is disputed by no one ; we must 

 rather conclude as I have done that the entire series represents, 

 along with the Calamites, an exogenous group of Cryptogams in 

 which the woody zone separated a medullary from a cortical 

 portion'^." 



In 1879 Renault^ expressed the opinion that Brongniart by 

 his investigation of the anatomy of Sigillaria elegans had 

 established in a manner " presque irrefutable " that Sigillaria 

 must be classed as a Gymnosperm showing affinity with the 

 Cycads. 



In 1855 Goldenberg^ described some strobili which he re- 

 garded as those of Sigillaria and recognised their close 

 resemblance to a fertile plant of Isoetes. He was led to the 

 conclusion, which had little influence on contemporary opinion, 

 that Sigillaria is related to Isoetes and must be classed among 

 Pteridophytes. To these long and narrow strobili Schimper 

 gave the name Sigillariostrobus'- In 1884 Zeiller* supplied con- 

 firmation of Goldenberg's view by the discovery of cones borne 

 on pedicels with Sigillarian leaf-scars, thus demonstrating the 

 generic identity of cones and vegetative shoots, which Golden- 

 berg had connected on the evidence of association. Zeiller's 

 more recent work' and the still later researches of Kidston^ 

 have added considerably to our knowledge of the morphology 

 of Sigillarian cones. Grand'Eury's remark made so recently as 

 1890' that opinion in regard to the Gymnospermous nature of 

 Sigillaria is losing ground every day, bears striking testimony 

 to the pertinacity with which old beliefs linger even in the face 

 of overwhelming proof of their falsity. 



It is remarkable, in view of the abundance of vegetative 

 shoots, how rarely undoubted Sigillarian strobili have been 



1 Williamson (83). 2 Williamson (72) p. 228. 



= Eenault (79). * Goldenberg (55) p. 24. 



= Schimper (70) A. p. 105. « Zeiller (84). 



7 Zeiller (88) A. s Kidston (97). » Grand'Eury (90) A. Vol. 11. 



