20 



SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1922. 



cent material of both Magnolia and Terminalia 

 and am satisfied that the fossil is much more 

 like the latter than the former, which was 

 Lesquereux's original identification before it 

 became the fashion 'to refer all large leaves to 

 Magnolia. 



Occurrence: Goss pit, half a mile east of 

 Mansfield, De Soto Parish, La.; collected by 

 O. M. Ball. 



Order GENTIAN ALES. 



Family APOCYNACEAE. 



Genus APOCYNOPHYLLTJM linger. 



Apocynophyllum mississippiensis Berry. 



Apocynophyllum mississippiensis Berry, I". S. Geol. Sur- 

 vey Prof. Paper 91, p. 342, pi. 108, fig. 6, 1916. 



The present material contains numerous 

 leaves of this species which average about 20 

 per cent larger than those previously collected, 

 indicating a leaf about 18 centimeters in length 

 by 4 centimeters in maximum width. 



Occurrence: Goss pit, half a mile east of 

 Mansfield, De Soto Parish, La.; collected by 

 O. M. Ball. 



Apocynophyllum constrictum Berry. 



Apocynophyllum constrictum Berry, U. S. Geol. Survey 

 ' Prof. Paper 91, p. 344, pi. 103, fig. 4, 1916. 



This species was based on the single specimen 

 figured, which was collected from the Wilcox of 

 Benton, Ark. Additional material was col- 

 lected recently from the clay ironstone near 

 Somervillc, Tenn. This is of importance in 

 showing that the constricted form that sug- 

 gested the name of this species was not anoma- 

 lous but the normal form of this lower Eocene 

 ApocynophyUum. It is also important in 

 confirming the conclusion that all the known 

 fossiliferous Wilcox in Arkansas, Louisiana, and 

 Texas is of upper Wilcox age, and that the 

 Wilcox sediments were progressively trans- 

 gressive in the region west of the present Mis- 

 sissippi River. 



Occurrence : Half a mile south of Somerville- 

 Whiteville road, Fayette County, Term.; col- 

 lected by Russell F. Ryan. 



POSITION UNCERTAIN. 

 Genus PTEROBALANUS Berry, n. gen. 



The genus has the characters of the type and 

 only known species. The name is derived from 

 the Greek for winged fruit. 



Pterobalanus texanus Berry, n. sp. 



Plate XV, figures 1, 2. 



Fruit of uncertain nature, either a many- 

 seeded indehiscent capsule or a drupe with a 

 readily flattened stone; the impression as pre- 

 served shows no trace of a stone and rather 

 points to its having been a many-seeded cap- 

 side. The fact that the wings are so well 

 developed rather precludes the inference that 

 the central papillose portion of the specimen 

 represents the base from which the essential 

 part of the fruit had been broken away. 



The remains consist of a stout stalk or 

 peduncle, about 2.25 centimeters in length, 

 slightly enlarged and curved proximad, ex- 

 panding distad to form the margin of a central 

 circular thickened papillose disk, which is 2 

 millimeters in diameter. From this margin 

 diverge in a semicircular fashion about twelve 

 wings or enlarged bracts. These are believed 

 not to be segments of a calyx, because of their 

 collective lack of symmetry, none being 

 developed on the proximal or inner side of the 

 central disk. 



These bracts are separate lanceolate in out- 

 line, entire margined, acutely pointed, and 

 about 5 millimeters in length by 1.5 millimeters 

 in maximum width in their expanded median 

 region. Each appears to have two longitudinal 

 veins. 



The systematic position of this interesting 

 winged fruit is unknown, nor do I recall any- 

 thing similar in the existing flora or in described 

 fossil floras. It is based on the single speci- 

 men figured and its counterpart. 



Occurrence: Carrizo sandstone at quarries 

 half a mile west of Carrizo Springs, Dimmit 

 County, Tex. 



