SAPIXPAI.F.S. 



1 



There ;\ro a iuuuImt of existing species of (iay- 

 lussacla in central Brazil, ami Eiigelhanlt's 

 (k'teiniination is probably cori'ecf. 



The genus is representee! by numerous spe- 

 cies, based on botii leaves ami cliaract eristic 

 fniits in tlie Knro])ean Tertiary, ami a vei-y 

 similar form, JhxJonu-n riscosoidcs Berry, is 

 rather common in tlie succeeding ('iail)orne 

 llora. The modern species comprise about 

 50 forms, largely massed in tlie Australian 

 region but represented in (lie Tropics of Ixitli 

 hemispheres. 



Occurrence. — Holly S])!-ings sand. Holly 

 Springs, Marshall County, Miss, (collected l)y 

 E. W. Berry). 



Collection. — U. S. National Museuni. 



DoDON'.EA KNcnvLToM Berry, n. sp. 

 Plate LXIV, figure :i. 



Description. — Fruit a septicidal, two-celled, 

 two-winged, reticulated capsule. Outline ellip- 

 tical. Capsule relatively small, orbicular, about 

 8 millimeters in diameter, centrally located. 

 Xuniber of seeds not discernible. Wing rela- 

 tively wide and full, deeply cmarginate distad 

 and less deeply oniarginate proximad, of con- 

 siderable consistency; veinlcts mostly emersed, 

 reticulating. Mai'gins somewhat llcxuous. 

 Total length about 1 .6 centimeters. Maxinmm 

 width, midway between the apex and the base, 

 about 22 millimeters. Peduncle long and slen- 

 der, about 7 millimeters in length. Named in 

 honor of Dr. F. H. Knowlton, of the United 

 States Geological Survey. 



The fruits of the existing species of Dodontea 

 range from membranous to leathery and are 

 two to six celled. Most of them arc three 

 celled, and, as a rule carry two, but exceptionally 

 only a single seed in each cell. A number of 

 species are normally two celled — as, for example, 

 Doclonsea viscosa Linne, a common shrub of the 

 woods, thickets, and strain!, I'aiiging from Ber- 

 muda and peninsular Florida, tlirougli the West 

 Indies. In its size, general outline, and two- 

 celled character Dodoniea vhcosa is pt^rhaps 

 most like the fossil species, but differs in its 

 Less coriaceous texture and the relatively larger 

 size of the seed cavities and hence has relatively 

 narrower wings. The only other existing spe- 

 cies which reaches the United States, Dodonsea 

 jamaicensis De Candolle, is a shrub of the ham- 

 mocks, pineland, and the keys of peninsular 

 Florida, occurring also throughout tiie West 



Indies. Its fruits are I iirec celled, three winged, 

 smaller, and more (l<'e])ly cmarginate. Among 

 otlier existing species tliat are so similar as to 

 deserve mention an' Dodonsea angusti folia 

 Swartz, of tlie West Indies, which has smaller 

 fruits; Dodonua canescens De Candolle, which 

 has sonu'what narrower fruits, like those of tlie 

 oriental s|)ecies, Dodonaa cdndolld Blum, witii 

 wiiich the fossil fruits have also liecn compared. 



It is a source of considerable satisfaction 

 to !ia\'e liie ratlicr abundant remains of unmis- 

 takable fruits of this genus preserv<'d in tlie 

 ^Vilcox deposits, since tiiey rc^nder more cer- 

 tain the idcutilication of the associated leaves 

 described as I>odonn:a wilco.riana. It is quite 

 possi!)le tliat both leaves and fniits belong to a 

 single bot.-uiic species. 



The fossil fruits of a considerable number of 

 species of Dodona>a have been described, and 

 though there is no especial reason for doubting 

 any of these identifications a number of them 

 are based on rather doubtful material. This 

 is especially true of Dodonsea prisca Weber ' 

 from the Acpiitanian of Rhenish Prussia, 

 Dodonxa orhiculata Heer,- Dodonsea emargi- 

 nata Heer,' Dodonsea ptelesefolia (Weber) Heer,'' 

 Dodonsea allenianica Heer,^ which range from 

 the Aquitanian to the Tortonian. The spe- 

 cies described by Ettmgshausen ° as Dodonsea 

 salicites from the Sannoisian of Haring in the 

 TjTol, where it is represented b}^ characteristic 

 leaves as well as small, not well preserved 

 fruits, which, however, I regard as correctly 

 determineil. They are much smaller and 

 relatively much narrower and longer than the 

 Wilcox species. From the Tongrian of St. 

 Zacharie in southeastern France Saporta ' 

 has described the fruits of Dodonxa confusa 

 and Dodonxa cycloptcra, both of which I regard 

 as correctly itlentilied. Both are smaller and 

 otherwise unlike the present species. The 

 best preserved fossU species heretofore noted is 

 Dodonxa .mporiaija, described by Laurent * 

 from the Tongrian of Celas (Gard) France. 

 This is a pedunculate bialate form, showmg a 



I Weber, C. O., Palieontographica, vol. 2, p. 85, pi. 5, fig. 8, 1852. 



' Hecr, Oswald, Flora tertiaria Helvetiae, vol. 3, p. G5, pi. 121, flg. 17, 

 1859. 



■•Idem, p. I'OI, note. 



*Iilem, p. 304, pi. 121, figs. 11, 12. 



■Idem, pi. 121, fig. 15. 



''Kttiiigsliiiusen, C. von, Die lertiiire Flora von lliiriiig in Tirol, p. 

 es, pi. 23, figs. 30-3.'', 1N53. 



' Saporta, G. de, Etudes siir la vi'g6tation du sud-est de la France h 

 1' ('•poqno tertiaire, vol. 1. pp. 24(1, 241, pi. 10, figs. 3, 4, 1803. 



» Laurent, Louis, Flore des calcaires de Celas, p. 127, pi. 13, fig. 9, 1899. 



