86 



LOWER EOCEXE FLORAS OF SOUTHEASTERN NORTH AMEliUA. 



widely isolated occurrence is explained when 

 the fossil record is combined with the occur- 

 rences referred to Enil)otlu-ites, Emljothriopsis, 

 and Emhothriophyllimi. To Embothi-ium are 

 referred S Oligocene species of Styria and 

 Greece and 4 Miocene species of Baden, Styria, 

 Croatia, and Hungary. To Embothriopsis 

 Hollick is referred a single species from the 

 Long Island middle Cretaceous. 



Dusen includes a single species from the sup- 

 posed Oligocene of Graham Land in Embo- 

 thriophyllum. The genus Embothrites Unger 

 contains a doul)tful species from the Dakota 

 sandstone; 6 Oligocene species from France, 

 Tyrol, StjTia, Carniola, and Greece; and 3 

 Miocene species in Croatia and Bohemia. 



The genus Dryandra R. Brown is i-eiiresented 

 by about 50 existmg species in Austraha. The 

 fossil forms have caused much discussion and 

 have been referred back and forth between this 

 genus and Comptonia and Myrica. The forms 

 retained in Ur^'andra include a Ccnomanian 

 species in Bohemia and Moravia, an Eocene 

 species in France, 2 Oligocene or Miocene 

 species in Australia, and an Oligocene species 

 in Greece. The allied forms referred to the 

 genus Dryandroides Unger include 5 Upper 

 Cretaceous species in Europe and North 

 America; an Oligocene or Miocene species in 

 Tasmania; 4 Oligocene species in Italy, Tyrol, 

 Saxony, Styria, and Greece, and a Miocene 

 species in Bohemia. 



The allied genus Banksia Linne fils, also con- 

 fined to Austraha in the existing flora, contains 

 3 Upper Cretaceous species, all restricted to 

 the North Temperate Zone; 3 Eocene species, 

 1 Alaskan ('0 and 2 Enghsh; 12 Oligocene 

 species widely distributed in Europe; 16 Mio- 

 cene species equally A\adespread in Europe, and 

 a Pliocene species in Italy. The 7 Australian 

 species are not older tlian Oligocene and they 

 may be Miocene. Three well-marked species 

 from the Wilcox have been referred to this 

 genus. 



The allied genus Banksites Saporta is repre- 

 sented by a Ccnomanian species in Bohemia 

 and by several Tertiary species from Europe 

 hopelessly entangled in the literature with 

 Banksia, Dryandra, and Dryandroides. 



The genus Iloupala Aublet (Rhopala), whose 

 peculiarly isolated outhers in Queensland and 

 New Caledonia have already l)een mentioned, 

 is common in northern South America, extend- 



ing northward to Guatemala. Fossil fonns are 

 recorded fium the Ccnomanian of Saxony, from 

 the Oligocene of Australia, and from the Aqui- 

 tanian of Switzerland. In addition Saporta 

 describetl a Rhopalospermites from the lower 

 Oligocene of France. 4- species of Rhopalo- 

 phyUum has been described from the Upper 

 Cretaceous (?) of Australia and another species 

 from tlie Miocene of Styria. The genus Hakea 

 also has been mentioned fi-equently in di'scrij)- 

 tions of the European Tertiary floras, and re- 

 cently Clement R(>id has identifi(Ml character- 

 istic follicles from the Pliocene of Ibjllaud. 



The geologic history sketched here is neces- 

 sarily fragmentary, but I think tlie fossil forms 

 are suflicient, after dotibfcful determinations are 

 excluded, to sIkjw that the Proteaceje origuiated 

 in tlie Nortlu rn Hemispliero, first appearing at 

 the close of the Lower Cretaceous epocli and 

 becomuig practically cosmopolitan in I'pper 

 Cretaceous time, when tltey reached the Aus- 

 tralian region fron^ southeastern Asia. New 

 Zealand must have already been segregated 

 but not the land mass now rejiresented by New 

 Caledonia. During the early half of tlie Ter- 

 tiary period Africa and southern Europe were 

 essentially a suigle floral province, and in the 

 Western Hemispliere the Pioteace.T ranged 

 from the United States through South America 

 and an unknown distance across the, Antarctic 

 Continent. Concomitant with the continent 

 building and the consequent climatic changes 

 of the Miocene epoch the area of distribution 

 commenced that shrinking which culminated 

 during the Pleistocene epoch, leaving the 

 stranded remnants of the stock in the jiresent 

 widely separated localities of the Southern 

 Hemisphere. Not all the modern genera took 

 part in these migrations, since the local ]){Hidl- 

 arities of poor soil and rigorous climate, com- 

 bined with relative freedom from outside com- 

 petition, were the factors that stimidated the 

 evolution of fonns in Australia during tin* Ter- 

 tiary period m exactly the same manner as the 

 peculiar Australian genera of Myrtacea? and 

 Leginninosai were evolved. 



The Wilcox species of Proteaceas include 6 

 forms, wliich are distributed in 4 g(UTera. In 

 addition a probable Banksia fruit is r(^tained in 

 Carpolithus. These genera are Pala^odcndron, 

 Proteoides, Kuightio]ihyllum, and Banksia. 

 The genus Pala'odeiuirou, not heretofore men- 

 tioned, was ])rop()S(Hl by Saporta for small 



