6 



POSSIL PLA.NTS. 



§ 6. Mr. J. W. Salter, F.G.S., in speaking of the Fossil Flora of the Lancashire Coal- 

 fields, says,^ " The great Calaniites are common. And this genus appears to have been 

 the most hardy, persistent, and widely diffused of the Palaeozoic plants. It began with 

 the Lejndodendron in the Devonian, perhaps a little later, and continued far beyond that 

 genus into Triassic times. 



" What we see of Catamites has been shown by several authors to be only the fluted 

 cast of the pith of Catamodendron . But there is much reason to believe that the outer 

 coating was usually very thin, and that the great succulent pith occupied nearly the 

 whole of the stem. 



"Pinnutaria is the root of Catamites, as I have convinced myself by specimens during 

 this Survey ; and we have now also in Britain the fruit of this interesting genus, such as 

 has been illustrated by Ludwig in vol. x of the ' Palaeontographica.' " Mr. Salter gives 

 a drawing of the fruit of Catamites from the Lower Coal-measures, Pochdale. The speci- 

 men I have not seen ; but in the woodcut it exactly resembles the restored one of 

 Ludwig. 



§ 7. Professor Schimper, of Strasburg, has been one of the latest authors on the Continent 

 who has treated of Catamites.^ His specimens do not appear to afPord much evidence 

 of structure, but his remarks will give us some idea of the opinions there current as to 

 the nature of the plant, and furnish us with the state of knowledge at the time possessed 

 by so distinguished a botanist, who has devoted much attention to the study of both 

 recent and fossil plants, and whose sources of obtaining information on the subject are 

 varied and extensive. 



M. Schimper's description is as follows : 



" UISETACEjE. 

 " CALAMITE^. 



" Calamites, Suck. 



" Cautis cytindraceus, Jistidosus, articutatus articutis ctausis, sutcatis, sutcis continuatis 

 vet in singulis articutis atternantibus, fotiis in vaginam dentatam coalitis vet radiatim 

 patentibus vet nutlis {?), eorumque toco tuber cutis {fotiorum deciduorum pulvinutis sen fotiis 

 rudimentariis ?) minutis verticittatim dispositis. 



" Tige cylindrique ou a peu pres creuse, articulee, a articles fermes par un diaphragme, 

 sillonnee regulierement dans le sens de la longueur ; sillons se continuant directement a 



1 ' Memoirs of the Geological Survey "The Geology of the Country around Bolton-le-Moors, Lanca- 

 shire," p. 43, 1862. 



2 " Description des Especes de Plantes rencontrees dans le Terrain de Transition des Vosges ; par Wm. 

 Ph. Scliimper." ' Memoires de la Societe des Sciences naturelles de Strasbourg,' vol. v, p. 323, 1862. 



