
1905. | an Organic Connection with Lyginodendron. 359 
~Microsporangia of Sphenopteris (Crossotheca) Héninghaust (= Lyginodendron 
Oldhamium) in the present note, but merely wish to record the organic con- 
nection observed, and to give a brief description of their chief features. Their 
full description will be reserved for another communication. 
The fertile pinnule is oval, entire, and attached to the rachis by a stout 
pedicel, which thickens very slightly upwards before merging into the pinnule, 
to the upper surface of which it appears to be united for a short distance. 
The pinnules seem to have been thick in substance, and the vascular trace 
enters it from the pedicel a short distance from the margin, where it imme- 
diately divides into two main branches which separate slightly from each 
other. Lateral veinlets probably existed, but they have not been observed in 
the fertile pinnules of Sphenopteris (Crossotheca) Honinghaust, though indica- 
tions of their presence are clearly seen in the fertile pinnules of a closely 
allied but undescribed species. 
Each fertile lobe bore six to eight broadly lanceolate sharply-pointed 
microsporangia. In the early condition the sporangia are bent inwards, 
and form a small hemispherical bunch with their apices meeting in the 
centre. At maturity the sporangia spread outwards, when they appear as a 
fringe hanging from the margin of the fertile pinnule, but are in reality 
connected for some distance to its lower surface. The microsporangia are 
bilocular, the parallel loculi being only separated by a narrow band of 
tissue. Dehiscence took place by a longitudinal cleft which passes down the 
_ inner surface of the sporangium in the line of the dividing wall of the two 
loculi. 
Many of the sporangia still retain the microspores, which are easily 
removed for microscopical examination. They are circular or slightly oval, 
and measure 50 w to 57 w in diameter. Their outer surface is granular, from 
the presence of very minute blunt points, and is also provided with a tri- 
radial ridge, which, however, is seldom clearly seen on account of the cell wall 
being crumpled into ridges—probably the result of contraction. 
A few examples of Crossotheca Honinghausi are figured on the accompanying 
Plate, after photographs by the author. Fig. 1 shows a fragment of a barren 
pinna, enlarged two times, to illustrate the pinnule cutting of the species. 
A specimen showing the Crossotheca fructification in organic connection with 
the barren pinnules, enlarged two times, is given at figs. 2 and 3. These two 
fizures show the impression of the plant on the two surfaces of the splt 
nodule. All the lateral pinne show some fertile pinnules on their upper 
portions, while sterile ultimate pinne are seen at the base of the penultimate 
pinne. These are especially well seen at ¢ and d, but sterile pinnules also 
occur on 0, and at the apex of the specimen. 
