I9I4-] SOUTHEASTERN NORTH AMERICA. 189 



trum and Banisteriophylhim described from the Eocene of Australia 

 by Ettingshausen. Thus there is no direct geologic evidence of the 

 place of origin of the family. The fact that it is so predominantly 

 American at the present time and that only two genera have reached 

 Australia from the East Indian region and that two of the American 

 genera appear in the northward extension of the early Eocene flora 

 of the American tropics during the Wilcox and are as ancient as any 

 certain records of the family anywhere, renders the conclusion that 

 the family originated in equatorial America an extremely probable 

 one. With the exception of the Wilcox records enumerated above 

 nearly all of the fossil records relate to Europe, and these may be 

 briefly enumerated. 



The genus Malpighiastrum of Unger has about 30 recorded spe- 

 cies. These include the doubtful Upper Cretaceous and Eocene spe- 

 cies previously mentioned as recorded by Ettingshausen from east- 

 ern Australia; 3 Ypresian species from the south of England; eight 

 Oligocene species in France, Italy, Dalmatia, Styria and Transyl- 

 vania; about 15 Aliocene species in Italy, Prussia, Bohemia, Croatia 

 and Transylvania; and two Pliocene species in Italy. 



The genus Heteropteris Jussieu, with about 90 existing species 

 ranging from Mexico and the Antilles to Bolivia and Brazil, has a 

 late Oligocene species in Transylvania and two Miocene species in 

 Styria and Croatia. 



The genus Hircca Jacq., with about 25 existing species ranging 

 from ]\Iexico and the Antilles to Peru, has furnished about ten fossil 

 species, based for the most part on the winged fruits. There is a 

 species in the Ypresian of southern England and a characteristic 

 fruit in the Wilcox; four Oligocene species in the Tyrol, Styria and 

 Transylvania ; three Miocene species in Baden, Styria and Transyl- 

 vania ; and a Pliocene species in Brazil. 



The genus Tetrapteris Cav., with about 60 existing species rang- 

 ing from the West Indies and ^Mexico to southern Brazil and Bolivia, 

 has furnished a fossil species in the Oligocene of Styria and three 

 Miocene species in Bohemia, Styria and Croatia. 



The genus Stigmatophyllon Jussieu, with about 45 existing spe- 

 cies found in the Bahamas and Antilles and along the east coast of 

 America from Mexico to Uruguay, has furnished Saporta with a 



