224 BERRY— LOWER EOCENE FLORA OF [April 25, 



lian region, concludes that the Leptospermoideae orighiated from 

 the Myrteas, and that the Cretaceous forms were widespread which 

 latter was undoubtedly the case. That before the separation of 

 Australia from the Asiatic mainland fleshy-fruited forms found 

 themselves in a region of warm moist climate but relatively poor soil 

 and that it was this edaphic factor that was the principal stimulus to 

 the differentiation of the Leptospermoideae, which with the exception 

 of the genus Metrosideros show adaptations to poor soil and temper- 

 ate or dry climates and this exception explains the relatively wide 

 distribution of Metrosideros from Asia to the Fiji Islands. The 

 Eiical\ptits forms according to the view of this student were derived 

 from Metrosideros after the separation of New Caledonia from 

 Australia and the latter continent from Asia. To support this latter 

 point Andrews is obliged to consider all of the Cretaceous identifica- 

 tions of Eucalyptus and all of the Tertiary identifications outside 

 of Australia as equally misleading. With regard to the presence of 

 Eucalyptus in North America I think this contention to be not un- 

 likely, for although in accordance with paleobotanical usage, I have 

 identified numerous forms of Eucalyptus in the North American 

 Upper Cretaceous, I have long thought that these leaves represented 

 ancestral forms of Eugenia or Myrcia, but have hesitated suggesting 

 any change in nomenclature from the havoc it would play with strati- 

 graphic paleobotany. 



The supposed American Cretaceous fruits of Eucalyptus have 

 long since been shown to be referable to Dammara-\\kt forms and in 

 my studies of the Tertiary flora I have scrupulously refrained from 

 referring any of the numerous myrtaceous leaves to the genus Euca- 

 lyptus. Regarding the possible occurrence of Eucalyptus in Eu- 

 rope I am not sure that the identifications of Heer,Unger and Ettings- 

 hausen are erroneous. Certain remains considered as Eucalyptus 

 fruits seem very convincing from the published figures and there is 

 not the slightest doubt that the other great modern Australian alli- 

 ance — the Proteaceae — was represented in both Europe and America 

 during the Cretaceous and Tertiary. There is one additional argu- 

 ment against the Cretaceous radiation and the paleobotanical deter- 

 mination of Eucalyptus and that is the great persistence of the 

 peculiar juvenile, opposite, cordate, sessile and horizontal leaves which 



