346 



LOWER EOCENE FLORAS OF SOUTHEASTERN NORTH AMERICA. 



at angles of about 60°, curving ui)\v:ir(l, cani])- 

 todrome. ifargins entire, slightly iMuhilate. 

 Texture subeoriaceous. 



Tliis species is clearly ilislinct from tl>e other 

 l-;iiown ineniliers of the Wilcox flora. Although 

 it rcscnihles some of the leaves of Ficus in its 

 outline, it sliows a different type of venation. 

 It has a peculiar textural character, liard to 

 describe but easily recognized and in a measure 

 shown in the illustration, that serves for its 

 recognition. This may be duo to a more or 

 less scabrous condition in life. 



This s])ecies is very close to several existmg 

 American tropical species. The genus com- 

 prises more than 200 existing forms of the 

 Tropics and the warmer cxtratropical regions 

 of V)oth hemispheres, most of them American, 

 and several extend northward as far as the 

 Bahamas, the Florida Keys, and the Rio 

 Grande valley. The leaves are variable ui 

 outline and are commonly more or less toothed, 

 even an entire-margined form showuig toothed 

 margms m some individuals. There is a 

 strom^f sreneric likeness in the leaves of the dif- 

 ferent species and some of them are very similar 

 to the leaves of some species of Populus. 



Some of the species are distributed by fru- 

 givorous birds, but the fruits of Cordia suhcor- 

 data, a widely distributed oriental beach plant, 

 float uninjured for months, accorduig to 

 Guppy.' 



The known history of Cordia is not ver}^ 

 extensive. Ettingshausen has described a Ter- 

 tiary species from Tasmania and another from 

 Bohemia; Engelhardt has described a species 

 from the early Tertiary of Chile; and I have 

 described a rather common species from the 

 Upper Cretaceous of soutlieastern North 

 America, Cordia ajyindaUi (IloUick). 



Occurrence. — Lagrange formation (in beds of 

 Wilcox age), Puryear, Henry County, Teim. 

 (collected by E. W. Beny) . 



Collection. — U. S. National Museum. 



CoKDiA {'.) Lowii Berry, n. sp. 



Plate CVII, figure 1. 



Description. — Leaves relatively short and 

 broad, elliptical-ovate and very slightly ine- 

 quilateral in general outhne, widest in tlie 

 middle and tapering abruptly to the acumi- 

 nate tip and somewhat less abruptly to the 



I Guppy, II. B., I'laul dispersal, p. o.W, I'JOC. 



truncate, ultimately slightly (hM-urrent base. 

 Length about 1 1 centhnoters. Maximum widlli 

 about 7.5 centimeters. Marghis rather full 

 and e\ ciily curved, beset with well marked liut ■ 

 flattened creimlations, which disappear en- 

 tirely in tlie basal region. Texture thick and 

 coriaceous. Petiole short and stout. Midril) 

 stout. Secondaries relatively thin, rather uni- 

 formly spaced, subparallel, and camptodrome; 

 eight or nine pairs diverge from the midrib 

 at angles of about 55° to 60°, curving but 

 slightly to the marginal region, where they 

 bow upward in swee])iiig arches. Tertiaries 

 thin, not prominent, percurrent. 



This species is rare, is not certaiid_y referable 

 to Cordia, and is confuied to the lower part of 

 the Wilcox. It is clearly separable from the 

 other Wilcox species, although it resembles 

 somewhat some of the foims of Euonymus 

 splendens Berry. It resembles somewhat the 

 entire margined Juglans Icconteana Lesquereux 

 and may also be compared with a variety of 

 unrelated genera, for example, Growiopsis, 

 liippomane, Camellia, Juglans, Omalanthus, 

 Pavonia, Celastrus, and the Uke. 



Named in honor of Dr. E. N. Lowe, State 

 geologist of Mississippi, who was instrumental 

 in the rediscovery of this classic locality and 

 who helped make the collection contammg the 

 present tj'pe. 



Occurrence. — Ackerman formation. Hurleys, 

 Benton (\)uiity (formerly part of Tippah 

 County), Miss, (collected by E. N. Lowe and 

 E. W.Berry). 



Collection. — LT. S. National Museum. 



Order PERSON ALES. 

 Family VERBENACEa;. 

 Genus CITHAREXYLON Linne. 



ClTHAREX-iXON EOLlGNiTicuM Berry, 11. sp. 



Plate CVI, figure :0. 



Description. — Leaves ovato-laueeolate in out- 

 line, slightly falcate. Apex narrowed to an 

 obtuse point. Base cuneate. Length about 

 8 centimeters. Maximum width, hi the mid- 

 dle part of the leaf, about 2.75 centimeters. 

 Margins entire, somewhat iri'egular. Petiole 

 short and very stout. Midrib stout, curved, 

 and promhient. Secondaries relatively stout, 

 prominent, numerous, al>()ut 12 subopposite to 

 alternate pairs, subparallel and camjitodrome. 



