Stiles. — The Podocarpeae. 463 
three layers : 1 an outer ‘ fleshy ’ layer which does not thicken up, 2 a middle 
hard sclerenchymatous layer, and an inner soft-celled tissue. 
It would appear from Van Tieghem 3 that the sporophyll and ovular 
vascular supplies are connected independently to the cone axis. The 
ovular supply terminates below the base of the nucellus in a ‘ tracheal 
platform ? , no strands entering the integuments. 4 
III. Saxegothaea. The structure of the cone of this species has already 
been described by several writers. 5 The cones, which are borne terminally 
on somewhat elongated branches, are somewhat spherical in shape, and con- 
sist of about twenty cone scales. Above the foliage leaves on the cone- 
bearing shoot, and below the cone, are a number of bracts intermediate in 
character between the foliage leaves and the lowest of the cone scales. 
These latter are sterile, and are themselves intermediate between the bracts 
and fertile cone scales. 6 Foliage leaves and megasporophylls are thus 
bridged over by numerous intermediate gradations. All these are spirally 
arranged on the shoot. 
The cone scales are ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate structures, imbricate, 
and becoming fused together later, first at the base. Each fertile mega- 
sporophyll bears a single ovule medianly placed on the upper surface of the 
scale. 7 At the time of pollination the ovule is sunk in a cavity at the base 
of the scale, and is completely reversed, 8 that is, the micropyle faces towards 
the axis of the cone. The nucellus of the ovule is surrounded by two 
integuments ; the outer is now generally known as the epimatium. The 
inner integument completely surrounds the nucellus, the epimatium only 
partly surrounds the ovule, being present indeed on its upper surface only 
(PL XLVI, Fig. 8). 
The youngest condition of the cone has been described by Noren. 9 
He finds the young ovule borne near the base of the scale and at right 
angles to it (Text-fig. 8, c), so that the micropyle faces towards the under side 
of the scale above. He finds the epimatium in this young state to be 
in close connexion with the integument ; only through the subsequent 
growth do the outer parts of the epimatium and integument come to be free 
from one another. This does not support Pilger’s statement 10 that the 
1 Robertson (’06), PI. XVII, Fig. u. 2 Young (10), p. 85. 
3 Van Tieghem (’69), p. 279. 4 Robertson (’06), p. 261. 
6 Pilger (’03), p. 42 ; Noren (’08), p. 108 ; Stiles (’08), p. 213 ; Thomson (’09 2 ), p. 345 ; 
Tison (’09), p. 142. 
6 The application of the term ‘ bract ’ has been limited to the reduced leaves below the cone ; 
the ‘ pieces du cone ’ are always referred to as ‘ megasporophylls * or 1 cone scales ’. It seems best 
not to use the term ‘ bract ’ in regard to the latter. 
7 In several cones Thomson (’09 2 ) has observed ovules borne on the lower surface of the sporo- 
phylls at the base of the cone. 
8 See Noren (’08), Taf. 8, Figs. 19 and 20; the former of these figures is reproduced in Coulter 
and Chamberlain (’10), p. 327. 
8 Nor&i (’08), p. 109. 
10 Pilger (’03), p. 16. 
