THYMELEALES. 



305 



OrEODAFHNE PSEIUOCUIANENSIS BeiTV, n. sp. 

 Plate LXXXI. fi^uros :! and 4. 



Description.— hoaxi'^ narrowly clouf^atc- 

 lanccolate and falcate in general outline, the 

 apex gradually attenuated and the base some- 

 what shorter, ac.ummate. Tjengtli ranges from 

 15 to 18 centimetei-s. Maxinmm width, in the 

 lower half of the leaf, 1.7 to 2 centimeters. 

 lilargins enth'e, veiy faintly undulate. Leaf 

 substance very thick. Texture decidedly co- 

 riaceous. Petiole long, stout, and curved, 

 about 3 centimeters in length. Midrib stout, 

 prominent on the lower surface of the leaf. 

 Secondaries stout, prommont on the lower sur- 

 face of the leaf: three or four conunonly sub- 

 opposite pahs of the same character above 

 these; and numerous thin reduced pairs, di- 

 verging at wide angles, in the attenuated tip. 

 The basal pan- are opposite and subbasal, di- 

 versincc from the midrib at angles of about 20°, 

 rather straight in their course and close to and 

 parallel with the lower lateral margins. The 

 succeeding two or tlu-ee ]3airs, generally subop- 

 posite, arise at mtervals of 1.5 to 2.5 centime- 

 ters. They diverge at slightly wider angles, 

 about 30°, and are regularly curved and as- 

 cending, becoming parallel with the lateral 

 marsms, alono; which they ascend for a consid- 

 erable distance, and are eventually campto- 

 drome. The secondaries diverge at wider and 

 wider angles and are more curved m the upper 

 half of the leaf until in tlic tip they become very 

 thm and diverge at angles of about 70°, run- 

 nmg straight about halfway to the margm, 

 where they turn abruptly upward to form wide 

 arches to the adjacent superior secondaries. 

 Tertiary venation largely inuu(>rsed, consistmg 

 of transverse, slightly curved nerviUes, as 

 shown in the figured specimen from Puryear. 

 Ai-eolation obsolete. 



This striking species is very distinct from the 

 associated forms of Lauracere and is readily dis- 

 tinguished from the other species of Oreodaphne 

 as well as from those of related genera by its nar- 

 row elongated falcateform. With the exception 

 of its long j)etiole ami less distmct areolation 

 it is practically identical with the existing Oreo- 

 daphne guianensis xVuhlct, a species of northern 

 South America, the type locality being Guiana. 



I am indebted to Dr. Aithur HoUick for per- 

 mission to figure the ILno specimen of Oreo- 

 daphne pseudoguianensis from Coushatta, La. 



■5024.3°— 10 20 



Occurrence. — Wilcox group, one-foin-th mile 

 above Coushatta, Red River Parish, La. (col- 

 lected by G. 1). Harris). Lagrange formation 

 (in beds of Wilcox age) , Puryear, Hemy (\iunty , 

 Tenn. (collected by E. W. Ben-y). 



Collections. — U. S. National Museum: New 

 York Botanical (iardcn. 



Okeodaphnr wilcoxensis Berry, sp. nov. 

 Plate LXXXVII, figure 6. 



Description. — Leaves medium sized, ovate in 

 general outline, the base broadly cuneate and 

 the tiji slightly extended, acuminate. Length 

 about 11 ci'utimeters. Maximum width, in the 

 middle part of the leaf, about 3.8 centimeters. 

 Margins entire. Texture coriaceous. The 

 marginal curvature is irregular and the leaf is 

 not strictly equilateral. Petiole not preserved. 

 Midrib stout, somewhat flexuous, very promi- 

 nent on the lower surface of the leaf. Sec- 

 ondaries few m number, widely and irregularly 

 spaced, very stout and promment on the lower 

 surface of the leaf; four or five alternate pairs 

 diverge from the midrib at angles of about 50° 

 to 55°; halfway to the margm they have swung 

 around subparallel with it and they ascend for a 

 long distance hi this position m a series of flat 

 arches. The tertiaries also are prominent, 

 transverse m gcMieral direction, commoidy per- 

 curreiit but generally forked. 



This fine species is unfortunately represented 

 by a very meager amount of material. Among 

 the numerous Wilcox species of Lauracese, es- 

 pecially those of the genus Oreodaphne, it is 

 closest to Oreodaphne coushatta Berrj^, from 

 which it differs in its more irregular form, 

 coarser and more promment venation, and m 

 its fewer and less regularly spaced secondaries. 

 It is very similar to a form from the Tertiary 

 of Colombia described by Engelhardt' as Lau- 

 rophijllum rigidum and compared with the exist- 

 mg Ampelodaphne eirunciflor'a Meissner of BrazU. 



Occurrence. — Lagrange formation (in beds of 

 Wdco.x age), Puryear, Henry County, Tenn. 

 (coUected by E. W. Berry) . 



Collection. — LT. S. National Museum. 



Genus MESPILODAPHNE Nees. 

 Mespilodaphne pitryearensis Berry, n. sp. 

 Plate LXXXVII, figure 1. 

 Description. — Leaves narrowly ovate-lanceo- 

 late in general outline, commoidy falcate, 



' Engelhardt, nermann, Scnckepbergisclie naturf. Gesell. Abh., vol. 

 19, p. 30, pi. 8, fig. 5, 1895. 



