122 
Slopes. — An Early Type of the 
indeed uncompromisingly Araucarian pitting. It is therefore to be expected 
that the tug-of-war between the two schools of thought will be nearly 
balanced, as the fossil affords such a typical case of both Abietinean and 
Araucarian features. 
Gothan’s forms Protocedroxylon araucarioides and Cedroxylon transiens 
with pitting, but slightly less Araucarian than in the new fossil, are included 
by him in the Abietineae, as he testifies in the names he gives them. Yet, 
greatly as I value the medullary ray structure as a diagnostic feature, 
I cannot follow Gothan in this. The position appears to me to be this : In 
our living flora certain characters have been found to be, on the whole, 
characteristic of certain types ; the alternating hexagonal pitting of the 
tracheides — of the Araucarineae ; the ‘Abietinean’ thickening and pitting 
of the rays — of the Abietineae ; the ray-tracheides — of the Pinaceae ; and 
so on. But when we get back to the Mesozoic Gymnosperms which 
undoubtedly include many forms leading from one group to another, many of 
which are entirely extinct, we cannot be justified in saying,' where we find 
a mixture of characters, that one or other of the features makes the wood 
a representative of one or other of the living families in which it occurs. 
The fossil may very well belong to a totally extinct family, the existence of 
which is as yet unsuspected by us. I feel, therefore, that it is unjustifiable 
to name such specimens (whose fructifications are unknown to us) in a way 
to indicate definite affinity with any living group. Hence Gothan’s use 
of Cedroxylon , Protocedroxylon , as well as Holden’s use of Metacedroxylon , 
all seem to be illegitimate. That Gothan uses such names is the more 
surprising since he so clearly sees the problem in the parallel case of the 
wood of Voltzia, regarding which he says (Gothan, 1910, p. 31 ) : ‘ . . . in den 
Voltzia-Schichten so gut wie nur araucarioi'd getiipfelte Stamme vorkommen ; 
und es wird wohl kaum jemand Voltzia wegen dieser Hoftiipfelung fur eine 
Araucariee erklaren ; ihre Verwandtschaft ist bei den Taxodieen zu suchen.’ 
As is, I should perhaps add for the sake of those unacquainted with the 
palaeontological evidence, very clearly indicated by the structure of the 
cone scales of Voltzia. 
To what group or extinct intermediate group the new Planoxylon 
Hectori belongs, its name does not attempt to indicate. Nevertheless, 
having said sufficient to indicate the caution which it is necessary to exert, 
it is worth while playing with the idea that the genus had leanings out 
towards, if not actual affinities with, the Abietineae. The highly and 
characteristically developed ‘ Abietinean pitting ’ of its rays supports this 
view by the best known diagnostic character in mature woods. This idea 
is of particular interest when we remember the locality in which the fossil 
was found, viz. New Zealand. 
There are no living Abietineae or Juniperineae in New Zealand or 
Australia to-day, as reference to the floras of the district at once indicates 
