106 



LOWER EOCEXi: FLOIiAS OF SOUTHEASTERN NORTH AMERICA. 



The luoiiotypic genus (jviniiKhi vSargent, 

 which is confined to Florida and the West 

 Indies in the existing flora, contains a doubt- 

 fully determined fossil species in the ^lagothy 

 formation of the Atlantic Coastal Plain. The 

 genus Microtropis Wallich, which includes 9 

 or 10 existing species of the mountains of 

 southeastern Asia from India to China and 

 Japan, is represented by a doubtfully deter- 

 mined form in the early Phocene of Italy. 



A well-preserved flower in the Baltic amber 

 is described by Conwentz as CtJastniuintMum 

 hauchecornci. 



The genus ELeodendron Jacquin, which in- 

 cludes about 25 existing species that are con- 

 fined to South Africa, has a rich geologic his- 

 tory. Four Upper Cretaceous species have 

 been described — 1 from Australia, 1 from the 

 Dakota sandstone, and 2 from the Magothy 

 formation of the Atlantic coast. There are 4 

 Eocene species, which show that the genus was 

 represented in ^Uaska, the Ypresian of England, 

 and the Fort Union of the Rocky Mountain 

 region. There are 5 Oligocene species in the 

 Tyrol, Bohemia, and Transylvania; 10 Miocene 

 species in France, Switzerland, Italy, Prussia, 

 Bohemia, Stp-ia, Australia, and New Zealand; 

 and 4 Pliocene species in Italy. 



The remaining genus known in the fossil 

 state, Euonymus Linne, contains about 60 

 existing species, which are widely distributed 

 throughout the northern hemisphere, but are 

 most numerous in the Asiatic Tropics and in 

 China and Japan. More than .30 fossil species 

 are known, based on both fruits and leaves. 

 There are 4 well-marked Eocene species, all of 

 which are confined to North America, where 

 they are represented in. west Greeifland, in the 

 Fort Union and Green River formations of the 

 Rocky Mountain region, and in the Wilcox of 

 the Mississijjpi embayment. The species of the 

 Mississippi embayment is a very abuiidant and 

 characteristic form. Four or five Oligocene 

 species of Euonymus are recorded from Bava- 

 ria, the Tyrol, and Bohemia. The 12 Miocene 

 species occur in France, Prussia, Bohemia, 

 Styria, Croatia, and Hungary. Tiiere are 4 

 Pliocene species in Germany, Italy, and Sla- 

 vonia, and 2 stUl-cxisting species occur in the 

 Pleistocene of France. 



This very brief survey of th(^ fossU history 

 of the CelastraceiE shows the probability, simi- 

 lar to that exhibited by so many other families 



of Diootvlodona\ that the ancestral stock orisi- 

 nated in the Western Hemisphere. 



The famUy Saj)indaceie consists of about 118 

 genera and more than 1 ,000 existing species of 

 trees or shrubs that bear alternate pinnate 

 exstipulate, persistent or deciduous leaves and 

 drupaceous or capsular fruits whose seeds are 

 crustaceous and mostly solitary. About one- 

 thu'd of the genera are lianas. The family is 

 chiefly confined to tropical and subtropical 

 regions, and about 23 per cent of the genera 

 (27) and 34 per cent of the species (345) are 

 confin(>d to America. Tlrere are more genera 

 (30) confined to the African region, but only 

 about one-fifth as many species (75). 



Th<' genera Cardiospermum, Schmidelia (Al- 

 lophylus), and Sajnndus are found in all tropi- 

 cal countries. The genus Paullinia, which con- 

 tains more than 120 existing species, though 

 mostly American, is represented in Africa and 

 Madagascar. The genus Dodonsea, which con- 

 tains more than 40 species in Australia, is rep- 

 resented by one or two forms which are found 

 in all tropical countries, and a single sp(>cies 

 lives in the Hawaiian Islands and Madagascar. 

 HarpuUia is common to Asia, Africa, and Aus- 

 tralia. Two genera and about 1 5 species are 

 confined to Aiistralia, 4 genera iuul 66 species 

 range from Asia to Australia, 10 genera and 22 

 species are confined to the East Indies, 3 genera 

 and 20 species are confined to Polynesia, and 6 

 genera and 35 species range from Malaysia or 

 the East Indies to Australia. These few facts 

 regarding the existing distribution make it ob- 

 vious that the family is ancient and that there 

 has been an extensive evolution of both generic 

 and specific typi's in relatively modern times in 

 the American Tropics on the one hand and in 

 the Malaysian region on the other. 



The fossil recoi'd, tliough mxieh less complete 

 than might be wished, includes at least 13 

 genera, of which 6 are extinct, and about 160 

 species, by far the largest number of which are 

 referred to the stUl existing genus Sapindus, 

 which a])pears to have been well differentiated 

 and widely distributed at the dawn of the 

 Upper Cretaceous. There are about 10 Upper 

 Cretaceous species, of which all but 4 occur in 

 pre-Senonian stratsi. Thus there are 2 species 

 in the Perucer beds of Moravia and Bohemia 

 and 1 at Niederschoena, in Sa.xony, aU Ceno- 

 manian. Two species are found in the Atane 

 and 1 in the Patoot beds of western Greenland. 



