Persea. LAURINE.E. 19 



joined by very thin nervilles. The petiole seems to become inflated a 

 little below the base of the leaves, as seen in Fig. 11, the only speci- 

 men where the petiole is f>reserved. 



There is no fossil species to which these leaves may be compared, for 

 a close relation, at least. They have the same nervation as Ficus plani- 

 costata of Golden, whose young leaves, of about the same size, have also 

 somewhat thin primary and secondary nerves. But the form of the 

 leaves is different, and the distinct veinlets, mostly parallel, simple, and 

 thin, are of another character. 



Habitat. — Table Mountain, Tuolumne County, California. Voy's Collec- 

 tion. 



LAURINEiE 



PERSEA, Gceet. 



Persea pseudo-Carolinensis, sp. nov. 



PI VII Figs. 1, 2. 



Leaves coriaceous, comparatively large, oblanceolate, obtusely pointed, gradually nar- 

 rowed to the petiole; lateral nerves on an acute <//><//t <>f divergence, curving to 

 and following the borders in long series of anastomosing bows. 



The two fragments representing this fine species present quite dis- 

 tinctly the details of nervation and of areolation. The lateral nerves, 

 on a very acute angle of divergence at the base, become by and by 

 more open toward the top of the leaves, gradually curve upwards, and 

 follow the borders high above in a long series of simple festoons. The 

 thick fibrillce, branching in the middle of the areas, or anastomosing 

 with short tertiary veins, compose, by the first divisions, large, irregularly 

 square or equilateral areolae, and by subdivisions mostly in right angle, 

 constitute an ultimate reticulation of very small round polygonal meshes. 

 This kind of nervation refers these leaves to Persea, and indeed, by com- 

 parison with those of P. Carolinenm, Nees, of the present North American 

 flora, the analogy of form and of all the characters is seen to be very 

 close. Generally the lower veins of P. Carolinensis are at a more open 

 angle of divergence, and the size of the leaves is smaller. They vary 

 considerably, however, even upon the same branch, and leaves are not 

 uncommonly seen with the basilar nervation precisely similar to that of 

 Fig. 1, while others are found as large, still larger than the fossil one. 



