222 THE RARITAX FLORA. 



this nucleus three membraneous wings are usually attached. 

 These wings usually diverge from each other at angles of about 

 45°; they are broadly linear, obovate or ovate in outline, with 

 broadly rounded, almost truncate tips and narrowed somewhat 

 toward the base, the lateral wings being usually somewhat un- 

 symmetrical ; they are marked by fine parallel longitudinal veins 

 converging toward the base and anastomosing at intervals. In 

 size they range from; 0.5 cm. to 2.5 cm:, in length by 2 mm. to 10 

 mm. in width. Both Hollick and Newberry call attention to the 

 somewhat greater length of the middle wing, which is. however, 

 far from being- a constant character since some specimens fail 

 to show it, all of the wings being of similar size, or the central 

 wing may even be much smaller, as it is in some of the Alabama 

 material, where, along with the normal forms, there occur others 

 with all of the wings directed upward and the central one only 

 about half the size of the laterals. 



The botanical relation of these curious objects remains un- 

 known, although they are probably comparable to the bracts so 

 largely developed in some of the Juglandacese and Betulacese, 

 or to certain of the winged fruits to be found among the modern 

 Sapindaceae or Dipterocarpaceae. In the abundant rem.ains from 

 Tottenville, Staten Island ; Gay Head and Nashaquitsa, Marthas 

 Vineyard, and Glen Cove, Long Island. Dk*. Hollick has described 

 another species, Tricalycites inajor^ based on forms which are 

 usually two winged and with a larger nucleus, the wings reaching 

 a length of 4 cm. and a width of 1.3 cm.. The same author has 

 described similar but smaller remains from Marthas Vineyard 

 as Calycites ohovatus- and still smaller remains from Montauk 

 Point as Calycites olafiis^. While perhaps from' the standpoint 

 of the paleobotanist these segregations are permissible or even 

 desirable, it may be doubted if they express real specific distinc- 

 tions and not merely individual variations. There is certainly a 

 suggestion in the forms from the Tuscaloosa formation of Ala- 

 bama, which occur with the normal Tricalycites papyraceous, that 



'Hollick, Mon. U. S. Geol. Surv.. vol. 50, 1907, p. 108, pi. T, figs. 13-22. 

 ^ Ibid., p. log, pi. V, fig. 23. 

 ^ Ibid., p. 109, pi. V, fig. 24. 



