(78) 



LAURACEAE. 

 Laurus Linn. Sp. PI. 369. 1753. 

 As commonly restricted, the existing species are but two, 

 of southern Europe, the Canary Islands and Madeira. The 

 family is large and chiefly tropical. The fossil species are 

 numerous, over thirty being found on this continent. It may 

 be remarked, however, that there is considerable uncertainty 

 in the generic diagnoses which are based upon nothing but 

 leaf remains of the Laurineae. Remains referred to Laurus 

 are common in the European Tertiary and Heer records one 

 species from the Tertiary of Siberia, besides four at Atane, 

 three at Patoot, and four in the Tertiary of Greenland. The 

 American species are distributed as follows: Raritan 3, 

 Island Raritan 4, Dakota 11, Mill Creek i, Woodbine i, 

 Montana 3, Vancouver i, Cret. of N. W. Terr, i, Laramie 

 4, Livingston i, Denver 3, Ft. Union 2, Tertiary of Yellow- 

 stone Park 2, Eocene i, Eolignitic 4, Miocene 7. 



Laurus Hollae Heer. PL 30./. 7, 8 ; fl. 52./. 7, 8. 

 Laurus Hollae Heer, Fl. Foss. Arct. 6^: 76. pi. 33- /• 



1882. Lesq. Fl. Dak. Group, 

 Hollick, Trans. N. Y. Acad. 

 1892. 



Previously known from the Dakota Group, Kansas ; Cre- 

 taceous, Staten Island ; Atane schists, Greenland. Ours are 

 rather poor specimens for positive determination ; as far as 

 they go they agree admirably with the above species. 



Laurus proteaefolia Lesq. PI. 47'/' <)', fl- 49- /■ ^• 

 Laurus -proteaefolia Lesq. Bull. U. S. Geol. and Geog. 

 Surv. Terr, i: 393. 1876; Ann. Rep. ibid. 1874: 

 342. pi. 3. /' /, 2. 1876; Cret. & Tert. Fl. 52. _^/. j. 

 /, g,io;pl' 16. f. 6. 1883; Fl. Dak. Group, 92. 1892. 

 Lesquereux's specimens were from the Dakota Group at 

 Morrison, Col., and Fort Harker, Kansas. The Cliffwood 

 forms which Hollick refers to Laurus pltitonia Heer are some- 

 what larger than the majority of Heer's figures of that 

 species, and our remains which seem to be species of Laurus 



