190 



DOMESTIC BOTANY. 



East Florida, and the latter of the Bahamas, and other small 

 West India islands, where it grows in abundance. It yields 

 sago, which is much used in Jamaica. 



Stangeria paradoxa. A remarkable plant, native of Natal. 

 It has a fleshy obconical stem, 6 or more inches in height 

 (according to age), and about 3 or 4 inches in diameter, from the 

 top of which are produced winged leaves, one at a time, 2 to 

 3 feet in length, the pinnae being lanceolate, having a midrib 

 with divergent veins like many Ferns, being in some respects 

 similar to Lomaria^ in which genus it was first placed by an 

 eminent botanist, under the name of L. eriopus ; but its 

 fructification being found in cones proved it to belong to 

 Cycads. Hitherto fossil Cycads were distinguished from 

 fossil Ferns by their veins being always longitudinal and 

 parallel without a midrib, but Stangeria having a midrib and 

 divergent veins, destroys that distinguishing character. 



Fossil remains of this class of plants are abundantly found 

 in the Isle of Portland, Yorkshire, North of Scotland, France, 

 Eussia, India, and China ; but it is singular that none have 

 yet been found in Australia or South Africa, where they 

 exist in a living state, as above shown, and with those of 

 America "may be viewed as the living representatives of the 

 fossils csilled Lejndodendi^on, Sigillaria^ Calamites, &c., which 

 at some remote period must have formed a peculiar feature 

 in the flora of the earth. 



Sub-Class 2. Gtmnospermous Exogens. Fig. 13, c. 



This comprehends all the trees and shrubs known as Coni- 

 ferae (cone-bearing), of which there are about 200 species 

 known, the difference in their fructification being considered 

 sufl&cient to give character to three families — viz., Pinaceae, 

 Taxaceae, and Gnetaceae. 



Although their branched character as Exogenous trees 

 differs widely from that of Cycads, they nevertheless possess 

 points of relationship besides that of the naked ovule. In 

 most of the cone-bearing genera their branches are annually 



