224 



LOWER EOCENE FLOBAS OF SOUTHEASTERN NORTH AMERICA. 



the iippor Claiborne of Arkansas, which is rel- 

 atively longer, has a more gradually narrowed 

 and more pointed tip ami more numerous thin- 

 ner secondaries. 



Occurrence. — Lagrange formation (in beds of 

 Wilcox age), Puryear, Henry County, Tenn. 

 (collected by E. W. Berry). 



Collection. — U. S. National Museum. 



IXGA LAUEINAFOLLV 



Berrv, 



n. sp. 



Plate XLVIII, figure 8. 



Description. — Leaflets opposite, large, mark- 

 edly inequilateral in outline, ovate in form. 

 Length about 9 centimeters. Maximum width, 

 at or below the middle, about 2.7.5 centimetei-s. 

 Apex bluntly pointed. Base acute, very in- 

 ecjuilateral. No distinct jjetiolide developed 

 but upper margin of midrilj naked for a dis- 

 tance of about 1 centimeter. Margins entu'e, 

 slightly irregular. Leaf substance thick and 

 texture coriaceous. Midrib stout, consider- 

 ably curved, prominent. Secondaries thin, 

 about ten opposite to alternate pairs, diverging 

 from the midrib at angles of about 60°, curving 

 slightly, outward and then upward, campto- 

 drome in the marginal region. Tertiaries thin, 

 mostly immersed and obsolete. 



This species is much larger than the other 

 WUcox species of Inga and is perfectly distinct 

 from them. It has a very characteristic out- 

 line. At the apex the inner lamina is fuller 

 and wider than the outer: hidfway to the base 

 the two margins are about etjuithstant from 

 the midrib; from this point the imier (upper) 

 margin curves gradually inward, becoming de- 

 current and terminating on the upper side of 

 the midril) at an acuminate angle about a cen- 

 tuneter above the base. The outer (lower) 

 margin continues fidl and rounded, curving 

 broadly inward and then acutely decurrent, 

 its maxunum distance from the midrib measur- 

 ing 1.7 centimeters, whereas the maximum 

 width of the imier lamma is 1.2 centimeters, 

 and at the level where the outer lamina reaches 

 1.7 centimeters the inner lamina is only 8 milh- 

 meters in width. 



The present species is extremely close to the 

 leaves of the common West Indian sjiecies Inga 

 laurina Willdenow,' and many leaves of that 

 specues which could be seh^cted would bo indis- 

 tinguishable from its Eocene representative. 



■i This species is also present in Central America. 



In general the modern species has a more prom- 

 inent venation and lacks tlie falcate form of the 

 fossil, the mi(h-ib being straiglit in spite of the 

 inequilateral lamina. 



Occurrence. — Wilcox group, one-fourtli of a 

 mile above Coushatta, Red River Parisli, La. 

 (collected by G. D. Harris). 



Collection. — New York Botanical Garden. 



Inga wickliffensis Berry, n. sp. 

 Plate L, figure S. 



Description. — Leaflets opposite, sessUe, small, 

 ovate, and markedly inequilateral in outline. 

 Length about 3. .5 centimeters. Maximum 

 width, in the middle part of the leaflet, al)out 

 LI centimeters. Apex gradually narrowed. 

 Base acute, very inequilateral, the lamina on 

 the distal side of the midrib havmg its lower 

 margin recurved and excavated to such an ex- 

 tent that the midrib is practically naked and 

 has only a slight wing for a distance of 2 to 4 

 millimeters on this side; the lamina on the 

 .proximal side is full and rounded, being widest 

 at a point where the distal lamma commences 

 to naiTow abruptly. Marguis entue. Texture 

 coriaceous. Petiolule wantmg. Midril) very 

 stout and prominent to its extreme tip, slightly 

 curved toward the apex of the leaf. Seconda- 

 ries very thin and immersed m the leaf sub- 

 stance; about eight subopposite to alternate 

 imequaUy spaced pairs diverge from the mid- 

 rib at wide angles of 65° to 80°, those hi the 

 distal half of the lamma more open than those 

 m the proximal haK; the secondaries pursue 

 nearly straight courses to the marginal region, 

 where their ends are joined by broad flat 

 arches. Tertiaries thin, foi-ming open, isodia- 

 metric, quadrangular or polygonal meshes. 



In the sum of its characters this species is 

 very similar to Inga laurinafolla Berry, and it 

 may be merely a variety of that species. It is, 

 however, only about one-thu'd the size of that 

 species and is blunter and more coriaceous, 

 and the margms are more evenly rounded. 



It is very close to several existing American 

 species of Inga. As far as may be judgetl from 

 the rather large collections of Wilcox plants 

 that have been made it is not a common form 

 in the coastal flora of that time. 



Occurrence. — Lagrange formation (in beds of 

 Wilcox age), Wickliffe, Ballard County, Ky. 

 (collected by L. C. Glenn). 



Collection. — U. S. National Museum. 



