THUITES. 143' 



1S70. Echinostrobiis expansns, Scliimper, Trait, pal. Teg. vol. ii. p, 333. 

 1871. Thuites expamus, Phfllips, Geol. 0.^ford, p. 171, Diag. xxxi. figs. 4-5. 



T. divarieatus, ibid. figs. 7-8. 



T. cupressifoliiis, ibid. p. 171. 



T. artieulatus, ibid. fig. 1. 

 1S76. ? Echinostrobus expansns, Peistmantel, Gondwana Flor. p. 60, pi. ix. 

 1877. E. expanses, ibid. p. 17, pi. xi. 

 1884. Falisocj/paris expansa, Saporta, Pal. FraiKj. toI. iii. p. 600, pi. Ixxxi. 



Cf. P. Itieri, ibid. pl. Ixxvii. 

 1894. ? Ihuyites pulcheUiformis, Saporta, Flor. Portugal, pl. ix. fig. 5. 



? TalcBocyparis Jlexuosa, ibid. pis. xix.-xx. 



Echinostrobus expansus, Woodward, Lower Ool. p. 599. 



Thuites divarieatus, ibid. 



T. eupressiformis, ibid. 



The habit of the vegetative shoots agrees with that of Brachyphyllwm 

 mamillare, Brongn., and with recent species of Cupressus and Thuja; 

 in some branches the smaller branohlets are crowded together 

 (Pl. IX. Fig. 1), and in others (Text-fig. 19) the habit is more open. 

 Leaves whorled, two in each whorl ; appressed and decurrent on 

 the axis, broad, slightly falcate, the apex free and broadly triangular 

 in surface-view. 



Female flowers in the form of more or less globular cones (Pl. IX. 

 Figs. 4, 4ffl) consisting of a central axis bearing numerous spirally 

 arranged cone-scales. Wo seeds were found in any of the specimens. 



Male flowers longer and narrow, composed of numerous crowded 

 sporophylls attached at right angles to the axis ; each sporophyll 

 is expanded distally, and bent upwards and downwards into a peltate 

 lamina. 



Localities and Horizons. — Practically all the specimens are from 

 the Stonesfleld Slate of Stonesfield, Eyeford, and Sevenhampton. 

 The Jermyn Street Museum Collection includes a cone from the 

 Forest Marble of Wolverton, which appears to be indistinguishable 

 from that represented in Pl. IX. Fig. 4. 



The most abundant fossil plants from the Stonesfleld Slate are 

 the numerous fragments of coniferous twigs referred by Sternberg 

 and many subsequent writers to different species of the genus 

 Thuites. "Water-worn cones (female flowers) and male flowers, 

 which undoubtedly belonged to the same plant as the vegetative 

 shoots, are also fairly common. An examination of a considerable 

 number of specimens of Thuites branches has convinced me that it 



