FLORA OF THE FRUITLAND AND KIETLAND FORMATIONS. 



331 



tana, it follows they can not be used as an argu- 

 ment for the Laramie age of the Fruitland and 

 Kirtland formations, because mthout col- 

 lateral data it woidd be impossible to decide 

 their age in the San Juan Basin. As a matter 

 of fact, while these four species are known to 

 occur in the Laramie, their principal distribu- 

 tion is in beds older than Laramie. Thus, 

 Sequoia reichenbachi is known to range from the 

 upper part of the Jui-assic entirely thi-ough the 

 Cretaceous, bemg perhaps most abundant, at 

 least as regards mdividuals, hi the middle Mon- 

 tana. Sabal montana is the prmcipal species of 

 palm in the Montana. Myrica torreyi was de- 

 scribed originally from Black Buttes, Wyo., 

 but it has since been demonstrated to be most 

 abimdant and widely distributed m the Mon- 

 tana. Finis prsetrinervis was &"st fomid in 

 the Vermejo formation of Colorado and New 

 Mexico, where at certain locahties it is exceed- 

 ingly abmidant. 



The species common to the Fruitland and 

 -Kirtland formations and the Montana group 

 ai'e as follows: 



*AspIenium neomexicanum. 

 *tSequoia reichenbarhi. 

 *tSeiuoia obovata? 

 *tGeiiiitzia formosa. 

 *tSabal montana. 

 *tMyrica torreyi. 



fSalix sp. a. 



fFicus curta? 

 ■ fFicus prsetrinervis. 



fFicus leei. 



*Ficiis rhamnoides. 



*Ficus squarrosa. 



fFirus eucah-ptifolia? 



fLaunis coloradensis. 



*Pistia corrugata. 

 *tPterospermites undulatus. 



The species in the above list that are marked 

 with an asterisk (*) are fomid also m the Mon- 

 tana of Wyoming, mainly at Point of Rocks; 

 those marked with a dagger (f) are fomid in 

 the Vermejo of Colorado and New Mexico. 



Of the 40 forms making up the known flora 

 of the Fruitland and Eartland fonnations, 16 

 have been found m other areas, and the above 

 list brings out the fact that no less than 15 of 

 these forms are known to occm* m the Montana. 

 A further analysis of the hst shows that 12 of 

 the 15 forms occur in the Vermejo formation of 

 Colorado and New Mexico, 10 occur in the 

 Mesaverde, or rooks of about this age, in 

 Wyoming and elsewhere, and 6 species are com- 



mon to both these areas. On the basis of this 

 showmg the conclusion seems justified, there- 

 fore, that the Fruitland and Kirtland fonma- 

 tions are of Montana age. 



Fanuly POLYPODIA-CEa;. 

 Asplenium neomexicanum Knowlton, n. sp. 



Plate LXXXIV, figures 5-9. 



Asplenium sp. Knowlton, V. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 163, 

 p. 20, pi. 3, fig. 11, 1900. 



Frond at least firm in textme; outhne of 

 whole frond not kno^vn but apparently simple 

 or once forked, base abruptly rounded and 

 slightly cordate, apex abruptly narrowed to an 

 actmunate point; margin finely toothed, the 

 teeth small and apparentlj" spinose; stipe slen- 

 der, its length not known but at least 6 centi- 

 meters; nervation very distinct, consisting of 

 a rather strong midvein and nimierous veins at 

 an angle of emergence of about 45°, usually 

 forking at or very near the base and occasion- 

 ally once above, the veins or nearly all of them 

 entering the teeth; sori long, narrowly linear, 

 attached to the upper side of the veins. 



This very interesting species is represented 

 by about a dozen fragments, five of which are 

 here figured. Although none is of sufficient 

 completeness to show the outline of the whole 

 frond, they include parts that give what seems 

 to be a fairly complete knowledge of its appear- 

 ance. Two examples (figs. 8 and 9) show the 

 configiiration of the base and a portion of the 

 slender stipe, and two (figs. 5 and 6) show the 

 apical portion, figure 5 being particularly com- 

 plete to the tip. It appears that as a rule the 

 rachis forks at an angle of approximately 45° 

 a very short distance above the base of the 

 frond, producing two broad, probably short, 

 obtusely pointed lobes. In the specimen 

 shown m figme 8 (right-hand leaf), however, 

 there is no evidence of forking within its pre- 

 served length -of 5 centinictei-s, and whether it 

 was forked at a stiU higher point or was entire 

 can not be determined. The marginal teeth 

 may be noted at a nmnber of points in the speci- 

 mens figured but ai-e especially distinct in 

 figure 6. 



The nervation is very distinct and is well 

 shown in all the specimens. Most of the 

 nerves fork at the base and some of them also 

 above the middle, but here and there one may" 

 be noted that is simple and imforked tlu-ough- 

 out. M<ist of the nerves enter the teeth. 



