MEDULLOSEAE 447 



Sutcliffia. — Professor Seward described, under the 

 name of Rachiopteris Williamsoni} a petiole which bears 

 a great general resemblance to " Myeloxylon" but differs 

 from it (among other minor points) in the vascular 

 bundles having concentric, instead of collateral structure. 

 Considering that in Medullosa the leaf-traces were, to 

 all appearance, concentric on first leaving the steles, it 

 was not surprising that in some forms they should have 

 retained this structure after entering the petiole, and it 

 thus appeared from the first highly probable that 

 Rachiopteris Williamsoni represented the leaf-stalk of 

 some unknown member of the Medulloseae. 



This conclusion has now been confirmed by the 

 discovery of a new Medullosean stem {Sutcliffia insignis, 

 Scott), found by Mr. J. Lomax in material from Mr. 

 Sutcliffe's colliery at Shore, Lancashire. 2 Sutcliffia, like 

 Professor Seward's fossil, is derived from the roof- 

 nodules, where it is associated with Goniatite shells 

 (Fig. 168). The roof-nodule specimens no doubt repre- 

 sent the drifted fragments of a distinct Flora, flourishing 

 at some little distance from the coal-forming forests ; to 

 the latter the ordinary seam-nodules owed their origin. 



The stem is a large one, measuring 12 X 6.5 cm. in 

 diameter in its present somewhat distorted condition. 

 In a length of 9 inches not more than one petiole 

 leaves the stem, so the plant was presumably of a tall 

 stature. The stem is clothed by large, spirally- 

 arranged leaf-bases, but detached petioles have been 

 found greatly exceeding in size those borne by the 



1 Annals of Botany, vol. viii. 1894, p. 287. 



2 Scott, "On Sutcliffia insignis, a New Type of Medulloseae from the 

 Lower Coal-measures," Trans. Linn. Sac. London, 2nd ser. Bot. vol. vii. 

 Part iv. 1906. 



