I9I4-] SOUTHEASTERN NORTH AMERICA. 149 



(Archichlamydeae) and only 35 species of Gamopetalae (Sympetalae). 

 At the same time the representation of Gamopetalge is really much 

 larger than might be expected thus early in the Eocene and many 

 families often thought to be relatively more modern have been found 

 to be represented. 



The following orders of Choripetalae are not represented in the 

 Wilcox flora: Casuarinales, Piperales, Salicales, Balanopsidales, Leit- 

 neriales, Santalales, Sarraceniales and Opuntiales. The absence of 

 the Balanopsidales, Sarraceniales and Opuntiales is not remarkable 

 since they are all specialized types and the rather uniform habitats of 

 the cacti and their relatively modern evolution both conspire to elim- 

 inate them from Eocene coastal floras. The presence of the prim- 

 itive Casuarinales and Piperales might be expected especially since 

 there is a well marked Piper-like form in the Upper Cretaceous of 

 Alabama. The Salicales while prevailingly temperate forms are 

 abundantly represented in the Upper Cretaceous floras of the embay- 

 ment area and the Santalales have also been recorded from the 

 American Upper Cretaceous and are present in the European Ter- 

 tiary. 



Those alliances of Gamopetalae which are not present in the Wil- 

 cox to be enumerated presently are mainly the great modern and 

 temperate zone groups. For example there are no Wilcox species of 

 Ericales, Labiatae, Convolvulaceae, Bignoniacese. Scrophulariaceae, 

 Plantaginales, Valerianales or Campanulales, this proving not only 

 the essential modernness of the evolution of the Compositae 10 but 

 firmly establishing the thesis that the Wilcox flora is a subtropical 

 and not a temperate flora. 



The following are the larger families in the Wilcox flora : The 

 Lauraceae with 30 species, Caesalpiniacea? with 26, Moraceae with 23, 

 Papilionaceae with 22, Rhamnaceae with. 14, Sapindaceae with 13, 

 Sapotaceae with 12, Myrtaceae and Mimosaceae each with 11, Combre- 

 taceae and Anacardiaceae each with 9, Juglandaceas with 8, Celastra- 

 ceae with 7, and the Proteaceae and Apocynaceae each with 6. 



The largest single genus is Ficus with 18 species, then comes 

 Cassia with 12, Sapindus with 9, Gleditsiophyllum with 8, Oreo- 



10 The fruit described as Carpolithus hyoscritiformis is probably referable 

 to the Compositae. 



