MYRTALES. 



315 



at its extreme base and run prrallel with the 

 respective margins to the extreme tip of the 

 le;if, (ine in each limb. Tlie leaves are stifl" 

 and coriaceous. 



This species is of a tyi)e usually referred l)y 

 paleobotanists to the allied genus Eucalyptus 

 or Myrtus, to which so many fossil s[)ecics 

 from the I'pper Cretaceous to tlie present have 

 been ])lace(l, and it is not very different from 

 the widespread Kiicahjjitus ocennica linger of 

 the European Tertiary. I liavc compared it 

 witli all the existing genera of Myrtacea' and 

 have come to the conclusion tliat it is indu- 

 bitably a species of ilyrcia. Among the exist- 

 ing species it is close to Myrcia rostrata De 

 Candolle and Mj/rcia aciitata Berg, both species 

 of tropical Brazil. Among fossil species, of 

 which only one or two have lieen referred to 

 this genus, it is almost identical with Myrna 

 lancifolia Fricdrich,' described from the Oligo- 

 ccno of Saxony (Eisleben), wliicli lias the same 

 form and venation but is slightly smaller and 

 has somewhat more numerous secondaries. 

 The genus M>Tcia is considered to comprise 

 more than 400 existing species, and though this 

 number is probably too large it remains one of 

 the most important genera of the American 

 Myrtacere. It ranges from the West Indies 

 and Mexico to Uruguay and Chile, and most of 

 the species are found in tropical South America. 



Occurrence. — Holly Springs sand, gully at 

 Oxford, Lafayette County, Miss, (collected by 

 E. W. Berry). Lagrange formation (in the 

 beds of Wilcox age), Puryear, Henry County, 

 Tenn. (collected by E. W. Berry). 



Collection. — U. S. National Museumi. 



Myecia worthenii (Lesquereux). 



Plate XC, figures 2 and 10. 



Salix Worthenii. Lesquereux, Am. Philos. Soc. Trans., 

 vol. 13, p. 414, pi. 1.5, fi.,'. T, 1SIJ9. 



Descrijdion. — Small leaves, lanceolate in 

 general outline. Length about 5 or 6 centi- 

 meters. Maximum width, in the middle part 

 of the leaf, about L25 centimeters. Apex and 

 base regularly, sharply, and about eqmdly 

 pointed. Margins entire. Texture subcoriace- 

 ous. Petiole short and rather stout, about .3 

 millimeters in length. Mich-ib stout, somewhat 

 flexuous. Secondaries tliin, very numerous. 



ipricdrich, Paul, Bcilriige zur Kcuntniss der TertUirflora der Provinz 

 Sachsen, p. 205, pi. 25, flg. 16, 1SS3. 



subparallel. They diverge from tlie midrib at 

 ap[)roximately regular intervals of l.,5 to 2 

 millimeters, at angles of about 50° to 5o°, curv- 

 ing l)ut sliglitly to the marginal region, where 

 tiicir tips are joined by an aerodrome vein on 

 either side, close to and parallel wit ii tlie margin. 

 This aerodrome vein maybe somewiiat arclied, 

 giving the secondaries a pseudocamptodromc 

 appearance. 



This species was described as a Salix by 

 Lesquereux from mat(>iial collected in southern 

 Illinois and western Tennessee. Although the 

 type material is lost, there is little doubt that 

 (lie specimens from Tennessee referi'cd to this 

 species are ich'nticnl witli tli(> material now 

 under consideration. Tliey show no charac- 

 ters that serve to suggest the genus Salix, 

 wliich would be a most anomalous element if 

 found in the Wilcox flora. The secondaries 

 are numerous, relatively straight, and united 

 by marginal veins as in the MjTtace* and sug- 

 gest a close relationship with tlie otlier species 

 of Myrcia found in this flora. 



The specific name is given in honor of the 

 late Prof. A. H. Wortlien, tlie eminent State 

 geologist of Illinois at the time Lesquereux 

 wrote. 



Occurrence. — Lagrange formation (in beds of 

 Wilcox age): Mound City, Pulaski County, III. 

 (collected by A. H. Worthen) ; La Grange, 

 Fayette County, Tenn. (collected by J. M. 

 Safl'ord): and Puryear, Henry County, Tenn. 

 (collected ])y E. W. Berry). 



Collection. — U. S. National Museum. 



Myrcia parvifolia Berry, n. sp. 



Plate XC, figure 1. 



Descnption. — Leaves small, obovate in out- 

 line, the apex rounded or bluntly pointed and 

 the base narrowed and pointed. Length about 

 3 centimeters. Maximum width, at or above 

 the middle, about 1 ccntuueter. Margins very 

 entire. Texture coriaceous. Petiole short and 

 stout, tumid proximad, about 2.5 millimeters in 

 length. Midrib stout, slightly curved. Second- 

 aries relatively stout, numerous, parallel ; about 

 15 subopposite to alternate pairs diverge from 

 tlie midrib at a])proximately uniform inter- 

 vals of about 2 millimeters ; they pursue a nearly 

 straight course to the margins, where their tips 

 are joined by an aerodrome marginal vein on 

 each side, parallel with and very close to the 

 margin, from which it can only with difFiculty 



