232 



LOWER i:OCi:XE FLOHAS OF SOUTHEASTERN NORTH AMERICA. 



Cassia maksiiallexsis Bcitv, n. sp. 

 Plate I., fiu'Urt'tJ (J and 7. 



Description. — Leaflets relatively small, lan- 

 ceolate, somewhat falcate in outline, more or 

 less inequilateral, the apex obtusely pointed, 

 in some specimens slightly emarginate, and the 

 base broadly pointed and in some specimens 

 quite inequilateral. Length as a rule about 2.5 

 centimeters. Maximum length observed 3.5 

 centimeters. Maximum width LI centimeters, 

 midway between the apex and the base. Mar- 

 gins entu'e and fully and regularly curved. 

 Texture coriaceous. Petiolule stout, about 2.5 

 millimeters or less in length, much curved. 

 Midrib stout, promment, and curved. Second- 

 aries thin, eight or nine rather regularly 

 spaced, subopposite to alternate, subparallel, 

 camptodi'ome pans, branching from the midrib 

 at angles of about 60° or more. 



This species shows all the characters of the 

 genus Cassia. It is the smallest of the Wilcox 

 forms referred to that genus, but may be com- 

 pared with numerous similar species of Cassia, 

 both Hving and fossil. It is somewhat close to 

 Cassia tennesseensis but is readily recognizable 

 and is named from the occurrence of the type 

 in Marshall County, Miss. 



It is much like a form from the Tertiary of 

 Bolivia described by Engelhardt ' as Cassia 

 ligustrinoides. 



Occurrence. — HoUy Sprmgs sand, Early 

 Grove, Marshall County, Miss, (collected by E. 

 W. Berry). Lagrange formation (in beds of 

 Wilcox age), 1^ miles west of Grand Junction 

 in Fayette County, Tenn. (collected by L. C. 

 Glenn), and Wicklifle, Ballard Comity, Ky. 

 (collected by E. W. Berry). 



Collections. — U. S. National Museum. 



Cassia fayettensis Berry, n. sp. 



Plate XLIX, figures 5-8. 



Description. — Leaflets petiolulate, ovate-lan- 

 ceolate in outline, very slightly inequilateral, 

 3.5 to 4.5 centimeters in length by about L7 

 centimeters in maximum width at or slightly 

 below the middle of the leaflet. Margins entire 

 and fuUy rounded, so fuU in some specimens 

 that they become repand. Basally the mar- 

 gins come inward with regular full curves 

 to the pointed, slightly inequilateral base; 



1 EnKelhardt, nermann, Naturwiss. Gesell. Isis in Dresden Abh., 1SS7, 

 p. 37, pi. l,ng. Hi; idem, 1894, p. in, pi. 1, fig. 27. 



distad they are regularly curved, the curves 

 being Hatter than at the base; hence this 

 part of tlie leaflet is more slender than the base. 

 Apex narrowly rounded. Petiolules stout ru- 

 gose, 3 or 4 millimeters in length, apparently 

 without exception much curved. Midrib stout 

 and generally straight, promment on the lower 

 surface of the leaflet. Secondaries not raised, 

 very thin but distinct, eight or nine alternate 

 pans, unequally spaced, branching from the 

 midrib at angles of more than 60°, at first 

 straight and then curving upward in a broad 

 arch some distance from the margin to join the 

 secondary next above. Outside of these rather 

 flat arches are small straight laterally directed 

 tertiaries, also arched from tip to tip approxi- 

 mately parallel with the margms. Texture 

 thin and membranaceous. 



These leaves in their outline, texture, and the 

 very characteristic venation are clearly refer- 

 able to Cassia and approach somewhat closely 

 the more lanceolate forms of the associated Cas- 

 sia glenni Berry. They are invariably smaller, 

 but in spite of this fact they have a much 

 longer petiolule, and they have not been ob- 

 served to show any tendency toward an cmar- 

 guiation of the tip. They resemble somewhat 

 the two smaller species Cassia marsliallensis 

 Berry and Cassia tennesseensis Berry, both of 

 which differ in their venation. Cassia tennes- 

 seensis being sessile and not petiohdate. 



The present species is similar to a number of 

 existing species of Cassia, the South American 

 Cassia, stipulacea Aiton, to mention but one. 

 It is also similar to a number of European Ter- 

 tiary species, for example, Cassia feronise Et- 

 tingshausen ^ from the lower Ohgocene of the 

 Tyrol, or the very wide ranging Cassia lignitum 

 Unger,^ which not only occurs aU over Europe 

 but has been recorded ui considerable abun- 

 dance from the early Tertiary of eastern Asia 

 by Heer.^ 



Occurrence. — Wilcox group, Benton, Salme 

 County, Ark. (coUected by R. E. Call). HoUy 

 Sprmgs sand, Holly Springs, Marshall County, 

 Miss, (collected by E. W. Berry), and Vauglms, 

 near Lamar, Benton County, Miss, (collected 

 by L. C. Jolmson). Lagrange formation (in 



2 Ettinpshausen, C. von, Die tertiiire Flora von Haring, p. 91, pi. 30, 

 figs. 9-11, 1S5.5. 



sCompare with figures in littingsliausen, C. von, idem, pi. 29, flgs. 40- 

 42, and Heer, Oswald, Flora tortiaria Helvetiffi, vol. 3, p. 121, pi. 138, 

 flgs. 22-2S, 1S59. 



*Heer, Oswald, Flora fossilis arctica, vol. .5, pi. 4, p. ."j.t, pi. l.T,figs. ti-8, 

 1878. 



