142 
RECORDS OF THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM. 
veins in the leaves, although it is conceivable that the ‘cross- 
wrinklings ’ may be veins. I do not think that the two are 
identical, but the plant is worth referring to. Schmalhausen 
regards his plant as a Conifer comparable to Sciadopitys (‘ Um- 
brella Pine These are the only comparisons I am able to 
suggest. 
When first dealing with this fossil, I came to the conclusion 
that it was a Fern of anomalous structure, probably a new 
genus, but my difficulties were increased on the preparation of 
the micro-sections of the stem, for I at once saw that the struc- 
ture revealed was not that of an ordinary Fern. 1 accordingly 
forwarded notes and copies of the illustrations to Mr. Seward, 
who in an exceedingly kind manner has solved my doubts in the 
letter already referred to, as follows; — “The internal structure 
strikes me as particularly interesting; your figures 10 and 11 
suggest a fairly broad zone of secondary wood — a form of structure 
practically unknown among recent Ferns, but slightly developed 
in some species of Botrychium, which have undoubted secondary 
thickening. From Permian and Coal Measure rocks we have, 
however, several genera of plants which possess characters now 
shared by Cycads and Ferns, e.g., Lyginodendron , Ifeterangium , 
Poroxylon , and others ; in the first two the leaves are of the type 
long known as Sphenopteris elegans and other forms, and the stems 
have a broad zone of secondary wood, with a structure like that 
of living Cycads. These intermediate types have recently been 
placed by Potonie in a special class, which he calls Oycadofilices ; 
the genera have been described by Williamson and Scott, Renault, 
and others. It would seem not improbable that your plant may 
belong to this class ; it certainly suggests a Fern with secondary 
wood. It would be very interesting to know more about the 
anatomy, whether the wood consists of radial rows and tracheids 
separated by broad bands of medullary ray tissue — as in Cycads, 
or, if it is of the more compact form, with narrower and less obvious 
rays, such as we have in Conifers; also what the tracheids look 
like in longitudinal section . 99 
Mr. Seward’s remarks suggest comparison with Botrychium. 
The structure of the stem in this genus is thus described* by Dr. 
D. H. Campbell : — “ The vascular bundles of the stem are much 
more prominent than in Ophioglossum , and form a hollow cylinder 
with small gaps only corresponding to the leaves. This cylinder 
shows the tissues arranged in a manner that more nearly resembles 
the structure of the stem in Gymnospermes or normal Dicotyledons 
than anything else. Surrounding the central pith is a ring of 
woody tissue, with radiating medullary rays, and outside of this a 
ring of phloem, separated from the xylem by a zone of cambium, 
* Mosses and Ferns, 1895, p. 243. 
