2 53 
The Classification of Conifers. 
Ginkgo are probably almost wholly due to convergence, and cannot 
be held to indicate any near relationship between Taxaceae and 
Ginkgoales. 
IV. —Classification of Coniferales Now Proposed. 
These examples (which do not include all the arrangements 
that have been proposed) amply substantiate the statement that 
the smaller alliances have been grouped in almost every possible 
way by different investigators. 
To the writer each of these systems appears unsatisfactory; it 
would rather appear that five families must be recognized, which, 
according to the character regarded as of paramount importance, 
may be combined in several different ways, as indicated in these 
various schemes; when the sum of these characters is taken into 
consideration, each such grouping is found to break down. 
These five families are therefore regarded as having approxi¬ 
mately equal rank within the Coniferales. They are:—I. Aratt- 
cariaceae ( Araucaria and A guilds) ; II. Podocarpaceae ( Podocarpus 
Dacrydiuin, Microcaclirys, Saxegotluea, Phyllocladus, and probably 
Pherosphcera ; III. Pinaceae (with two sub-families defined below); 
IV. Cupressaceae (with three sub-families defined below); and V. 
Taxaceae (Taxes, Torreya, Ccphalotaxus, and possibly Acmopyle and 
Polypodiopsis ). Of the genera mentioned, Phyllocladus was at 
one time regarded as a connecting link between Podocarps and 
Taxads, but nearly all modern investigators are agreed that it is 
clearly related far more nearly with the Podocarps (see Coulter and 
Chamberlain’s Morphology of Gyuinospenns for a concise summary 
of the evidence on this point), while a very strong case for the wide 
separation of Podocarps from Taxads has recently been ably put 
forward by Stiles. The two suggested sub-families of the Pinaceae, 
with the genera included in each of them, are as follows:— 
i. Abietoi'deae ( Pinus , Larix, Pseudolarix, Picea, Tsuga, 
Pseudotsuga, A hies, and probably also CedrusnndKeteleeria). 
ii. Sciadopitoideae ( Sciadopitys). 
and the three of Cupressaceae are :— 
i. Cupressoideae (Thuja, Libocedrus, funiperus, Tetracliuis, 
Taxodiuui, Cryptomeria, Cunninghamia, and probably 
Cupressus, Biota, Chamcecyparis and Thujopsis, and possibly 
also Glyptostrobus, Taiwania and Athrotaxis). 
ii. Callitroideae (Widdringtouia, Callitris, Actinostrobus, and 
possibly also Fitzroya). 
iii. Sequoideae (Sequoia). 
