590 STUDIES IN FOSSIL BOTANY 



Many years before the existence of such a family 

 as that of the Bennettiteae was even suspected, certain 

 remarkable fossils were described from the Lower 

 Oolite of the Yorkshire coast, under the name of 

 Zamia gigas? The fullest account of these fossils is 

 that presented by Williamson to the Linnean Society 

 in 1868. Our Fig. 212 (from Williamson's memoir) 

 represents the plant in a restoration which has been 

 proved by more recent investigations to be essentially 

 correct. Mr. Carruthers, in his paper on Cycadean 

 stems above referred to, established the new genus 

 Williamsonia for the reception of Zamia gigas and 

 allied forms, and this name is the one now used. 2 



The various organs of the plant are, as usual among 

 fossils, almost always found separately. They consist 

 of the large Zamia-Yi\z& leaves (from which the old 

 generic name was taken), portions of the stem, covered 

 with the rhomboidal leaf-scars, and lastly the fructifica- 

 tions, with the long scaly stalks on which they were 

 borne. Williamson pieced these various parts together, 

 as shown in his restoration, and Brongniart confirmed 

 his conclusions, but other authorities entirely rejected 

 them, regarding the fructifications as those of Monocoty- 

 ledons, and as having nothing to do with the Cycadean 

 foliage or stem. Williamson's view has proved to be 

 the correct one. 



The fructification of Williamsonia is in size and 

 appearance something like a common artichoke, and 



1 Lindleyand Hutton, Fossil Flora of Great Britain, 1830. Originally 

 figured by Young and Bird, Geological Survey of the Yorkshire Coast, 1822. 



2 Williamson, "Contributions towards the History of Zamia gigas," 

 Linnean Society's Transactions, vol. xxvi. (published 1870) ; Carruthers, 

 I.e. , in same volume. 



