168 



LOWER EOCENE FLORAS OF SOUTHEASTERN NORTH AMEIilCA. 



A I'oroigii form from tlu> S])iirna("ian of tlie 

 Paris Bashi and scarcely if at all (listinguisliul)le 

 from Asplenium eoUgnitica is described in a 

 recent work by Frit el ' as Asplenium issyacense. 

 He compares it with the existing Asplenium 

 seira Langsdorf and Fischer, Asplenium nitens 

 Swartz, and Asplenium macro jJnjllu in. The 

 first is a form common to the Tropics of j^nerica 

 and Africa. Tlie second is from the Mascarenes, 

 and the third has a wide range from Ceylon 

 tlux)ugli Malaysia and Polmesia. The genus 

 Asplenium, as conceived in cinrent systematic 

 works devoted to the Filicales, is of very wide 

 geographic distribution, and contains between 

 300 and 400 existing species, some of wliich, in 

 addition to tliose mentioned al)ovo, are very 

 close to tliis fossil form in appearance. 



Occurrence. — ^Ackerman formation, hill along 

 the DeKalb-Herbert road, Kemper County, 

 Miss, (collected by E. W. Hilgard) ; Wilcox 

 gi'oup, Hardys Mill near Gamesville, Greene 

 County, ^Vi'k. (collected by J. C. Branner) ; and 

 Old Port Caddo Landing, Little Cypress Bayou, 

 Harrison County, Tex. (collected by T. W. 

 Vauglian). 



Collections. — V. S. National Museum. 



Asplenium hurleyensis Berry, n. sp. 



Plate X, figure 1. 



Description. — Fronds pinnate. Phmse elon- 

 gate-falcate-lanceolate, gradually tapering to 

 acuminate tips. Base obscm-o. Length of 

 pinnae about 7 centimeters. Maximum width 

 about 1 centimeter. Margms finely sen'ate. 

 Midrib stout, curved. Laterals thin and 

 diverge from the midrib at acute angles, curv- 

 ing almost immediately outward, so that their 

 general coiu^e is straight at angles of about 

 60° \\4th the midrib. The laterals fork once 

 at an acute angle and rmi directly to the mar- 

 guis. Texture seems to have been coriaceous. 



This fine species is unfortunately represented 

 by the single incomplete specimen figm-ed, 

 which is hai'dly sufficient for a complete de- 

 scription. It is, however, clearly unlike pre- 

 viously described fossil fonns, although it 

 shows more or less resemblance to several fos- 

 sils commonly referred to the genus Ptoris. 

 iUthough not conclusively .showai, it seems 

 probable that it represents a species of Asple- 

 nium. It is very close to an midescribed form 



' Fritel, P. H., Soc. gM. France M6m. 40, p. Ifi, pi. 1, figs. 1-4, 1910. 



from the Raton coal fii^ld in Xew Mexico, if 

 not identical with it. 



Occurrence. — Ackonnan formation, lluihsys, 

 Benton County (fomierly part of Tijjjiah 

 Comity), Miss, (collected by E. N. Lowe). 



Collection. — U. S. National Museum. 



Genus PTERIS Linne. 



Pteris pseudopinn.eformis Lesquereux. 



I'lulr IX, iiguiu (i. 



Plcris piiiriiefonnis. Lesquereux (not Hecr), U. S. Geol. 

 and Geog. Survey Terr. Ann. Kept for 1870, j). 

 3S4, 1871; idem for 1871, p. 283, 1S72. 

 Newberrj' (not Ileer), U. S. Geol. Sun-ey ilon. 3.5, 

 p. 7, pi. 48, fig. 5, 1898. 

 Pttris pseudopinnivfoTirds. Lesquereux, The Tertiary flora, 

 p. 52, pi. 4, figs. 3, 4, 1878. ■ 

 Ilollick, in Harris, G. D., and Veatch, A. C, A pre- 

 liminary report on the geology of Louisiana, p. 279, 

 pi. 32, fig. 1, 1899. 

 Knowlton, U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 204. p. 22, 1902. 



Description. — Puui£e large, Imear-lanceolate 

 in outline, gradually naiTowod both proximad 

 and distad. Margins entire below, usually 

 to or above the middle; above with obtusely 

 dentate teeth. Texture subcoriacoous. Mid- 

 rib stout, more or less flexuous, grooved. Lat- 

 erals diverge from the midrib at acute angles 

 between 35° and 40°. They are thm, sub- 

 l>arallel, straight, closely and regularly spaced, 

 and simple or once-forked dichotomously. 

 Rachis stout, alate. 



This species, original^ referred by botli Les- 

 quoreiLX and Newberry to Heer's European 

 Miocene species Pteris pinnseformis, is similar 

 to that form in a general way but is entirely 

 distinct. It is generally represented by frag- 

 ments of puinie, the most complete specimen 

 being the one figured by Hollick from Louisiana 

 and refigmed in this paper. This specimen is 

 somewhat larger than the western material, 

 the largest pinna bemg about 20 centimeters 

 m length and nearly 3 centimeters in maximum 

 width in the middle part. 



The species has a wide range, havhig been 

 recorded from the Denver formation at Golden, 

 Colo., and the upper Eocene of Currant Creek, 

 Oreg. (lower part of Clarno fonnation) . It re- 

 sembles somewhat Asplenium eoUgnitica Berry 

 of the Wilco.x flora, whic^h is larger, more 

 coriaceous, and has closei, more numerously 

 forked laterals and prommont serrate marginal 

 teeth. It is re])resent.<Ml by a relatinl form in 

 the flora of the Katon formation of the southern 



