338 



LOWER EOCENE FLOKAS OF SOUTUEASTEliX XOKTII AllEKICA. 



Louisiiinju, but the sii\g]e specimen from this 

 lociility appears not to Ix-Ions;; to this species. 



It closely resembles Bumelia wilcoxiaiia 

 Berry, which is. however, a somewhat smaller 

 form that lias an olxuirdate instead of an orlii- 

 cular outline and a cuneate base that is almost 

 straight sided instead of broadly rounded. 

 The secondaries of micoxiana are more numer- 

 ous, less prominent, and more ascending. 



Wliat was said xmder Bumelia u>ilcoxi''ina m 

 regard to suuilar fossils and existing forms 

 applies with almost equal force to this species. 

 Attention should be called, however, to its 

 resemblance to a leaf from the Ypresian of the 

 Paris Basin wliich Watelet' refen-ed to the 

 genus Piscidia Limae, a leguminous genus of 

 tropical ^Vmerica, and which he described as 

 Piscidin frotogea. 



Occurrence. — Lagrange formation (ui beds of 

 Wilcox age), Somerville, Fayette County, 

 Tenn. (collected by J. M. Safford) , and Pur- 

 year, Henry County, Tenn. (collected by E. W. 

 Berry). 



Collections.— \J. S. National Museum. 



Bumelia hueleyensis Berry, n. sp. 

 Plate CVIII, figure 2. 



Description. — Leaves relatively coarse and 

 large, orbicular to elliptical and somewhat m- 

 equilateral in general outlme, widest above the 

 middle. Base broadly rounded on one side, 

 truncated on the other. Ajiex broadly rounded 

 and then deeply retuse. Lengtli about 4.6 

 centimeters. Maximum ^vidth about 4 ceiiti- 

 meters or slightly more. Margins entire. 

 Texture coriaceous. Petiole not preserved. 

 Midrib stout and prominent, somewhat llexu- 

 ously curved. Secondaries few, very stout 

 and prominent; three opposite to alternate 

 imequally spaced pairs diverge from the mid- 

 rib at angles ranging from 3.5° to 5.5°; thej' 

 sweep upward in broad curves parallel with 

 the lateral margins of the loaf and all except 

 the basal pair are (-amptodrome in the aj)ex 

 of the leaf. Tertiaries relatively stout and 

 well marked, nearly straight and subparallel, 

 percurrent. ^Vi-eolation of fine nervilles, nearly 

 obsolete, in general consisting of relatively 

 large quadrangular areolae. 



This species has the general fonn of all the 

 Wilcox species of Bumelia except Bumelia 



' Watclet, A ., Descriptions des plantes fossiles du bassin de Paris, p. 240, 

 pi. 59, fig. 3, 1800. 



pseudotenax Berry and Bumelia grenadensis 

 BiMTv. It is, however, much larger and more 

 coarsely veined than any of these, being nearly 

 twice the size of Bumelia americana- (Les- 

 quereux) B(n'iy, which a])])roa(;hes closest to 

 it in size. It also diffei's from the other Wil<;ox 

 species in being ])roadly retuse and not emar- 

 ginate in its fewer, much coarser, and more 

 ascending secojidaries, and in its perciuTcnt ter- 

 tiaries. It was apparently not common along 

 the Wilcox coast, since it is only represented 

 by scanty material from a smgle locality. 



Occurrence. — Ackc^nnan format ion, Hurleys, 

 Benton Countj' (formerly part of Tippah 

 Coimty), Miss, (collected i)y E. W. Berry). 



Collection. — U. S. National Museum. 



Bumelia grexadexsls Berry, n. sp. 

 Plate CVIII, figure;?. 



Description. — Leaves medium sized for this 

 genus, obovate and markeilly inequilateral in 

 general outline, the apex broadly roundo<l or 

 slightly emarginate and the base narrowlj' 

 cuneate. Length about 4 centimeters. Maxi- 

 mum widtli at or above the middle about 1.75 

 centimeters. Margins entire. Leaf substance 

 thin but of a stiff coriaceous texture. Petiole 

 wanting. Midrib stout, curved, prominent on 

 the lower siu'face of the leaf. Secondaries rather 

 stout, rather regularly and closely spaced; 

 about 15 pairs diverge from the midrib at wide 

 angles, which vary from about 90° in the basal 

 part to 70° in the middle and distal portions of 

 the leaf; they ])ursue a relatively straight 

 course and narrow rajiidly in the marginal 

 region, where they are camptodrome. Ter- 

 tiaries thin, forming a close-meshed anasto- 

 mosing areolation, which in the margimd region 

 is fully as prominent as are the secondaries. 

 Not common in the collections. 



Of the four other Wilcox species of Bumelia 

 three are relatively much shorter and wider; 

 the only one whose form is similar to the 

 ]>reseut species is Bumelia pseudotevax Berry, 

 wliich is a smaller, less ine(juilateral leaf, rela- 

 tively narrower, and its secondaries are fewer, 

 tliiimer, and more ascending. 



Among jireviously described fossil species 

 Bumelia grenadensis Berry resembles the Euro- 

 pean Bumelia oreadum. ITnger,- which is com- 

 mon and widesi)read from the extreme base of 



J Unger, Traiu, Pie tossile Flora von Soteka, p. 42, pi. 22, figs. 7-14, 1850. 



