110 



cockerell: lower cretaceous flora 



veins leaving a midrib, curving more or less, and at least toward 

 the apex of the leaf uniting to form a series of arches. These 

 leaves are evidently those of Sapindopsis, and may well belong 

 to the species S. variabilis Fontaine, although the lateral veins 

 appear to form a more acute angle with the midrib than in that 

 species as figured by Berry." Berry refers this genus with con- 

 fidence to the modern family Sapindaceae, but we should like 

 to see the reproductive parts. Is it possibly something more 

 than a coincidence that the venation is of the same type as 

 that of Gnetum, the modern broad-leafed gymnosperm? 



Equisetaceous stems, the larger about 8 mm. in diameter, 

 with about nine striae, may well represent the species Equisetum 



Fig. 1. Cycadospadix (?) sp. About natural size. 



burchardti (Dunker) Brongn., but the sheaths are unfortunately 

 wanting. 



Some curious palmlike structures, certainly not palms, closely 

 resemble Cycadospadix. 4 They represent possibly more than 

 one organism, and one of the specimens, Dr. Berry notes, has 

 some resemblance to the base of a fern such as Matonidium; 

 it appears that Lignier, some years ago, actually described fern- 

 remains of this type as a Jurassic palm. 



The best preserved specimens in the collection are elongate 



3 Maryland Geol. Surv., Lower Cretaceous, pi. 83. 1911. 



4 Schenk, A., in Zittel, Handb. Palaeontologie, Abt. II, Palaeophytologie, 228. 

 1890. Also, Dr. Seward, after examining the photographs, suggests comparison 

 with Trans. Roy. Soc. Edinburgh, 47: 099, pi. 7, fig. 18. 1911. 



