48 



represented in Krcitle flora von Aachen, PI. i, Fig 1-5, is, however, different, 

 the lobes being shorter, less distinctly divided, and rather turned upward 

 than horizontal. As Heer separates his species from the Belgian one, espe- 

 cially on account of the veins being simple in the Moletin specimens, while 

 they are sometimes forked in those of Belgium, (for the figure a represents 

 them simple, except the two lower pairs of two of the leaflets,) and as in the 

 American form all the veins are forked, while it has the same facies as the 

 Quedlinburg specimens, I believe that all these Cretaceous fragments repre- 

 sent the same species. For this reason I do not wish to increase the number 

 of species from characters of little importance and rarely permanent in the 

 ferns of this group. 



Habitat. — In a ravine, three miles east of Fort Harker. 



TODEA (?) SAPORTANEA, Sp. 710V., PI. xxix, FigS. 1-4. 



Frond large, coriaceous, bi-tripinnately divided ; pinna?, linear or enlarged in the middle, pinnately, 

 alternately divided in lanceolate, pointed, entire, open, erect pinnules, disjointed to the decurring base, 

 which forms a narrow wing along the narrow rachis or medial nerve; nervation pinnate; secondary 

 veins simple, alternate, parallel, turning upwards in ascending to the borders, which they follow in a 

 series of curves. 



This beautiful species is represented by a number of specimens, the 

 largest of which, Fig. 1, shows the point of three apparently parallel pinnae 

 34 centimeters wide, cut down nearly to the rachis into erect patent, simple, lin- 

 ear lanceolate, entire, sharply-pointed segments, decurring by their base and 

 forming a narrow border along the rachis to the point of union with a lower 

 segment. These lobes, mostly equal in length upon the same pinnae, are from 

 2 to 5 centimeters long, and from 3 to 8 millimeters broad. The nervation is 

 remarkably similar to that of some dicotyledonous leaves; the lateral or second- 

 ary simple veinlets in an acute angle to the middle nerve, (40°) are close to 

 each other, 2 to 3 millimeters distant, parallel, ascending in curving upward to 

 the borders, which they follow and join the upper veins, forming successive 

 bows or festoons. The veins are generally simple, separated often by Ter- 

 tiary shorter vinelets which disappear toward the middle of the principal 

 areas into large areolae, by dividing on both sides. The relation of this fern 

 to Todea, a genus of the section of the Osmundcece, is indicated merely by 

 the form and mode of division of the pinnae ; but the neuration is different 

 from that of any of the living species of this genus, even from any species of 

 ferns of our time. It is comparable to Monheimia aquisgranensis, Dev. and 

 Ett., Acrobryen, p. 31, PL iv and v, Fig. 6. Of course the exact relation of 



