FOX HILLS AND LOWER MEDICINE BOW 65 



The systpmatic statiis of tliis typo of spchI is stiil unsettlod. Lesqucreux regarded it as a 

 palm, and Knowlton was ineliued toward Nysm, thougii he later reconsidered and gave it the non- 

 committal name Berrya, apparently unaware that this name was preoccupied and that Berry was 

 at that precise time describing the same type of seed from the Wilcox beds as Leguminosites 

 arachioides minor, implying leguminous afhnities. Quite recently Brown ' lias pointed out the 

 trochodendraceous character of the fossil specimens and their visual association, as in the Medicine 

 Bow formation, witli leavcs referred to Trochodendroides. 



Occurrence — Corson Ranch, Wyoming, Loc. P. 372; north of Walcott, Wyoming, Loc. P. 373. 



Collection—V . C. Mus. Pal., Plesiotypes Nos. 1346, 1347, 1348. 



FAMILY ANACARDIACE^ 



Genus PISTACIA Linn6 



Pistacia eriensis Knowlton 



(Plate 19, Fig. 7) 



Pistacia eriensis Knowlton, U. S. Geol. Surv. Prof. Paper 130, 150, pl. 28, figs. 1-4, 1922. 

 Pistacia hollicki Knowlton, ibid., 151, pl. 28, figs. 5, 6. 



There are 4 leaves with attached leaflets and 3 detached leaflets whicli are indistinguishable 

 from the Laramie specimens referred to Pistacia eriensis. Two of the spccimens, one of which is 

 figured, are somewhat larger than any of the Laramie specimens but are otherwise similar. 



In view of the very slight differences in size and arrangement between Pistacia eriensis and 

 P. hollicki, and the fact that the speciraens all come from one locality, there seem to be no grounds 

 for maintaining two distinct species. Knowlton referred to them as "obviously related and 

 possibly identical." ^ No other fossil forms appear to be comparable, although the iarge leaves 

 from the same Laramie locality which Knowlton described as Juglans newberryi ' might ultimately 

 prove to be variants of Pistacia eriensis, since their shape and venation are remarkably .similar. 



Knowlton referred this species to the genus Pistacia with considerable certainty, on the ba.sis 

 of similar arrangement, shape, and venation to Pistacia lentiscns Linne and P. mutica Frick and 

 Meyer of Southern Europe. The re.semblance is indeed close, although equally good comparisons 

 can be made with species of Rhus, belonging to the same family, and with Juglans of the Jug- 

 landacese. In the absence of conclusive evidence, however, it does not seem desirable to make 

 any change in the name at the present time. 



Occurrence — Corson Ranch, Wyoming, Locs. P. 371, P. 372; north of Walcott, Wyoming, 

 Loc. P. 373. 



Collection—U . C. Mus. Pal., Plesiotype No. 1349. 



Family CELASTRACE^ 



Genus CELASTRUS Linn6 



Celastrus taurinensis Ward 



(Plate 12, Figs. 1, 2, 3) 



Celaslrus laurinensis Ward, U. S. Geol. Surv., 6th Ann. Rept., 555, pl. 52, figs. 15, 16, 1886; idem, Bull. 37, 79, 

 pl. 34, figs. 5, 6, 1887; Hollick, Geol. Surv. Louisiana, Spec. Rept. No. 5, 285, pl. 46, fig. 1, 1899; Knowlton, 

 Wasliington Acad. Sci. Proc., vol. 11, 213, 1909; Berry, U. S. Geol. Surv. Prof. Paper 91, 267, pl. 60, figs. 

 1-3, 1916; Canada Geol. Surv. Meni. 182, 42, 1935. 



Celastrus ovalus Ward, U. S. Geol. Surv., 6th Ann. Rept., 555, pl. 53, fig. 7, 1886; idem, Bull. 37, 81, pl. 36, fig. 1, 

 1887. 



Celaslrus wardii Knowlton and Cockerell, U. S. Geol. Surv. Bull. 696, 160, 1919. 



Celaslrus curvinervis Ward, U. S. Geol. Surv., 6th Ann. Rept., 555, pl. 53, figs. 9, 10, 1886; idem, BuU. 37, 82, 

 pl. 36, figs. 3, 4, 1887. 



Aralia taurinensis (Ward) Sanborn, Carnegie Inst. Wash. Pub. No. 465, 27, pl. 10, figs. 1, 2, 4, 1935. 



The coUections contain 5 well-preserved and fairly complete specimens which are similar in 

 every essential detail to the type and figured specimens of Celastrus wardii (= Celastrus ovatus) 

 and C. curvinervis. Berry has recently ^ synonymized both of these species with Celastrus tauri- 



1 Brown, R. W., Geol. Soc. Am., Prel. Abstr.. 68, Dec. 1937. 

 ' Knowlton, F. H., U. S. Geol. Surv. Prof. Paper 130, 151, 1922. 

 'Knowlton. F. H.. ibid., 120. pl. 20, figs. 8-10. 

 * Berry, E. W., Canada Geol. Surv. Mem. 182, 42, 1935. 



