386 STUDIES IN FOSSIL BOTANY 



stem is correct ; some of them were borne on aerial 

 parts of the stem, as shown in the figure, while others 

 were, no doubt, entirely buried in the soil. The drawing 

 was made before the discovery of the branching of the 

 stem, which we now know to have occurred freely in 

 many specimens (p. 371). 



The pendulous, tufted bodies shown, in Fig. 1 

 (Frontispiece), on parts of the foliage, are intended to 

 represent the lobed cupules, discovered by Stur in 

 another species, and now known to have enclosed the 

 seeds. 



5. The Seed. — Up to the year 1903 our knowledge 

 of Lyginodendron was practically limited to the vegeta- 

 tive organs. Any previous observations bearing on the 

 mode of reproduction were then of uncertain significance ; 

 some of them will be referred to below. The first definite 

 evidence was obtained by Professor F. W. Oliver, 

 F.R.S., when he identified the seed of Lyginodendron by 

 means of the glands on its enveloping husk. 1 The 

 seed in question was named by Williamson (in MS.) 

 Lagenostoma Lomaxi ; the genus was founded by him, 

 but he left this species undescribed. 



The seed is barrel-shaped, and of rather small size 

 compared with many other Palaeozoic seeds, the extreme 

 dimensions reaching 5.5 mm. in length by 4.25 mm. in 

 maximum diameter. It is enclosed in an outer husk or 

 cupule, which completely enveloped the seed when young 

 (Fig. 143), though it was no doubt open at maturity 

 (see Fig. 144, from a model). In one or two fortunate 



1 Oliver and Scott, " On Lagenostoma Lomaxi, the Seed of Lyginoden- 

 dron" Proc. Roy. Soc. vol. lxxi. 1903 ; " On the Structure of the Paleozoic 

 Seed Lagenostoma Lomaxi" Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. (B), vol. 197, 1904. 



