Miocene 



A new Tertiary fossil Moss 



By EIJZAI3KTII G. Britton 



4 

 r 



The specimen is number 1765 of the National Museum col- 

 lection. The material in which it was discovered was obtained by 

 Professor I. C. Russell at a coal mine one mile west of Cle Elum 

 Kittitass Co., Washington, on July 7, 1897. It came from what 

 IS known as the " Roslyn sandstone/' and its age is probably 



or upper Eocene. It was sent with other speci- 

 mens from the same place to Professor F. H. Knowlton, who sup- 

 plied the facts given above and who states that it is associated 

 with species of Lyo-odhan, Ulmus, PUinera and Chrysophylhuu be- 

 sides a number of other beautifully- preserved leaves. He recoo-- 

 nized it as a fossil moss and states that it is undoubtedly the old- 

 est fossil species thus far found in this country. He submitted it 

 to me for the determination of its nearest living alliance and Dr 

 Holhck has searched over the literature of fossil mosses and made 

 the drawing of the specimen. I have dedicated the species to its 

 discoverer. 



Rhynchostegium Knowltoni 



at 



Stem I cm. or more long, showing as a carbonized line .. 

 several points and seemingly continuous with a slender, curved 

 carbonaceous prolongation from its apex, like a leafles.s stolon' 

 Leaves about i mm. long, one third as broad, becoming smaller 

 toward the apex of the stem, more or less two-ranked or flattened 

 spreading at an angle of 45-, not crowded nor overlapping un- 

 equal at base, the upper half of the leaf rounded at base and cover- 

 mg the stem, the lower narrower and tapering to the stem ; vein 

 indicated or suggested more or less clearly in the lower leaves by 

 carbonaceous lines continuous beyond the middle of the leaf, dis- 

 appearing below. the apex which is acute but somewhat blunt, in 

 some leaves quite rounded and broad, not tapering. 

 . Evidently belonging to the Hypnaceae with flattened appar- 

 ently two-ranked leaves, suggesting by its tapering, stoloiiiferous 

 stems, a species related to RhyncJiostcgium rusciformc (Neck) 



(79) 



