18 



SHORTEB CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1922. 



and shows that the capsules were tardily 

 loculicidally dehiscent and contained many 

 small elongated seeds on parietal placentae. 

 It thus differs from the other known species, 

 namely S. sezanneUoides Berry, in which the 

 placentae were axile and the dehiscence 

 septicidal. • 



Occurrence: Goss pit, half a mile east of 

 Mansfield, De Soto Parish, La.; collected by 

 O. M. Ball. 



Genus HELICTOXYLON Felix. 

 Helictoxylon wilcoxianum Berry, n. sp. 



Plates XVII and XVIII. 



Transverse section: Vessels large, oval, very 

 numerous and closely spaced, generally single, 

 sometimes in oblique pail's. Rays undulating, 

 broad, several cells wide, charged with gum. 

 Parenchyma filling most of the space between 

 the rays and vessels. Prosenchyma well dis- 

 tributed as single or double strands in the 

 parenchyma, with greatly thickened walls. 



Radial section: Vessels reticulately marked 

 or obscurely pored. Parenchyma much sep- 

 tate, without discernible pitting. Prosenchyma 

 with pointed ends, sparingly septate, with 

 ray of very minute pores on the radial walls. 

 Kays high, the marginal cells square, the cen- 

 tral long and narrow. Pitting obscured by 

 gum. 



Tangential section: Vessels often with ob- 

 lique, scalariform perforations; walls reticulately 

 marked. Rays fusiform elliptical, 8 or 9 

 cells wide medianly, 25 to 35 cells high, the 

 normal ray frequently continued in one or 

 both directions by uniserial large rectangular 

 cells. Parenchyma of short rectangular cells 

 without discernible pitting. Prosenchyma 

 sparingly septate, with a row of minute pores. 



The wide rays, the abundance of xylem 

 parenchyma, and the prosenchyma with simple 

 pits indicate that this wood represents some 

 species of Sterculiaceae, and the size and 

 abundance of the vessels suggest a liana. As 

 it is not possible to make comparisons with 

 recent material, nor desirable to propose a 

 new generic term such as Stercvlioxylon, the 

 species is referred to the genus Helictoxylon, 

 proposed by Felix 26 for two species from the 

 Oligocene of Antigua. Species are also known 

 from the Tertiary of Java, Luzon, Galicia, and 



M Felix, J., Fossile Holzer Westindiens, p. in, 1883. 



Hungary. The Wilcox species appear to be 

 entirely distinct from previously described 

 forms. 



Occurrence: Two miles east of Naborton, De 

 Soto Parish, La. 



Order THYMELEALES. 



Family LAURACEAE. 



Laurus verus Berry, n. sp. 



Plate XVI, figures 2-7. 



I am fortunate in having several specimens 

 of this fruit preserved as a ferric oxide replace- 

 ment in Wilcox sands. Several are detached 

 from the persistent calyx with the hilum ob- 

 scured, and their identity would be question- 

 able were it not for the finding of specimens 

 with the calyx attached which came loose from 

 the calyx, showing the umbo. In form the 

 fruit is a considerably prolate spheroid varying 

 considerably in size, the minimum and maxi- 

 mum sizes observed being 11 millimeters in 

 length by 7 millimeters in maximum diameter 

 and 15 millimeters in length by 9.5 millimeters 

 in maximum diameter. The distal end comes 

 to a not very obvious point. The surface is 

 smooth and polished. The calyx is small, 

 thick, coriaceous, and gamosepalous, the sepals 

 represented by six conical or rounded upright 

 marginal teeth, 3.5 to 4.5 millimeters in diam- 

 eter and 2.5 to 3 millimeters high. Peduncle 

 stout and curved, 2.5 to 4 millimeters in length. 

 These are well shown in the accompanying 

 figures. The question of their proper generic 

 reference may be left in abeyance for the pres- 

 ent, as a considerable number of the genera of the 

 Lauraceae have comparable fruits. The term 

 Laurus is used in the present connection purely 

 as a form genus implying their reference to this 

 family. The only lauraceous leaves found in 

 association with these fruits are those of Oreo- 

 daphne salinensis Berry, and even these are rare. 

 It may be assumed that these fruits floated a 

 considerable distance from their point of origin, 

 as is frequently the case with modern lauraceous 

 fruits. I am inclined to consider these fossils 

 as representing the genus Cinnamomum, but 

 this is entirely a matter of personal opinion. 



A considerable number of fossil fruits belong- 

 ing to this family have been described. Among 

 them those from the Oligocene of Trotha and 

 Bornstadt, in Saxony, described by Friedrich, 27 



« Friedrich, P., Beitriige zur Kenntniss der Tcrtiiirflora der Provinz 

 Sachsen, pp. 128, 234, pi. 15, fig. 9; pi. 31, fig. 10, 1883. 



