ART. 24 FOSSIL PLANTS FROM COLOMBIA — BERRY H 



base. Margins entire, sometimes slightly undulate. Texture sub- 

 coriaceous. Length about 10 centimeters. Maximum width 2.25 

 to 3.5 centimeters. Petiole very short and stout, expanded at the 

 base. Midvein stout and prominent. Secondaries relatively thin, 

 numerous, subparallel, diminishing in repeated flat archings in the 

 marginal region which their distal ends parallel; their angle of diver- 

 gence from the midvein is acute in the narrower leaves and obtuse 

 in the wider leaves. Distal tertiaries precurrent, proximal occasion- 

 ally anastomosing or crossed by tertiaries from the midvein and 

 parallel with the secondaries. 



I have compared the fossil with a variety of recent leaves, some 

 few of which are worth mentioning. In the genus Pilocarpus the 

 lanceolate forms of Pilocarpus racemosus Vahl, an Antillean and 

 Central American species are much like the fossil, but there are minor 

 differences in venation and the majority of leaves of Pilocarpus, even 

 of the species mentioned, are different in form. I have also found 

 leaves of RhaModendron amazonicum (Sprengel) Huber (Rutaceae) 

 which were similar, but this species tends to have larger leaves which 

 are frequently obovate or even emarginate, and all of the recent 

 forms have prevailingly larger leaves. I have seen a few recent 

 leaves from Colombia belonging to the genus Quiina Aublet some- 

 what similar to the fossil, but the majority show decided differences, 

 and the same remark applies to the genus Maytenus in which the 

 leaves are frequently toothed and the venation different, but in 

 which Maytenus myrsinoides Riess approaches the fossil. The same 

 is true of the genus Casearia Jacquin (Samydaceae) where the leaves 

 are mostly toothed. Engelhardt compared the Buga fossil with the 

 existing Sahicea aspera Aublet — a composite which has since been 

 made the basis of several species, and the type of which is not espe- 

 cially close to the fossil. Most of the existing species of Sahicea, 

 which are about 35 in number and include both shrubs and climbers, 

 have relatively slightly shorter and wider leaves which are conspicu- 

 ously hirsute, pilose, or canescent. They are largely American but 

 occur also in the African tropics. The most similar one seen is 

 Sahicea glahrescens Bentham of northern South America in which the 

 variation in form is matched among the several fossil specimens. 

 The latter come from the older travertine at Sachica near Leiva, 

 Department of Boyaca. 



INCERTAE SEDIS 



CARPOUTHUS BOUVARENSIS, new specie^ 



Plate 1, Figures 11, 12 



I am unable at present to suggest the botanical affinity of this 

 specimen, although it is sufficiently characteristic to be readily rec- 

 ognized if it should turn up in future collections, or be encountered 

 in existing carpological material. 



