No. 2367. FOSSIL PLANTS FROM COSTA RICA— BERRY. 177 



Genus NECTANDRA Roland. 



NECTANDRA AREOLATA Engeihardt. 



Plate 27. 



Nectandra areolata Engelhardt, Abh. Senck. Naturf. Gesell., vol. 19, p. 29, 

 pi. 6, figs. 1, 2, 1895. 



Description. — Leaves of large size, elliptical, acute in general out- 

 line, widest in the middle and equally pointed at both ends. Margin 

 entire, slightly undulate. Texture coriaceous. Length, about 18 cm. 

 Maximum width, about 7.5 cm. Petiole short and stout, about 1 cm. 

 in length. Midrib stout and prominent on the lower side of the leaf. 

 Secondaries stout proximad, becoming thin distad, prominent on the 

 lower surface of the leaf; eight to ten somewhat irregularly spaced 

 pairs diverge from the midrib at angles of 45° or more and curve 

 regularly upward, ending in camptodrome arches along the margin. 

 Tertiaries well marked, percurrent. Areolation polygonal. 



This species was described by Engelhardt from the Tertiary (prob- 

 ably Miocene) of Santa Ana, Colombia, and compared with the 

 existing Nectandra gardneri Meissner. It was based upon rather 

 imperfect type material, more complete specimens being present in 

 the Costa Rica collection. In the account of the Colombian fossil 

 plants, as well as in much of Engelhardt's paleobotanical work, there 

 is an unwarranted differentiation of specific types, and it seems ex- 

 tremely likely that two additional nominal species which this author 

 described from the same outcrop at Santa Ana, Colombia, should be 

 united with his Nectandra areolata. These are Nectandra Eeissi 

 Engelhardt 3 and Persea coriacea Engelhardt. 4 Judging by the illus- 

 trations of these forms they are not to be differentiated, but as I 

 have only actual specimens of the first I hesitate to go beyond 

 suggesting such a change, which would, of course, require that the 

 aggregate go by the name coriacea, which has priority of position in 

 Engelhardt's discussion. 



NECTANDRA WOODRINGI, new species. 



Hate 26, fig. 1. 



Description. — Leaves broadly lanceolate in general outline, widest 

 midway between the apex and the base, narrowing upward to the 

 acuminate tip and downward to the acute base. Margins entire, 

 slightly undulate. Texture coriaceous. Length, about 15.5 cm. 

 Maximum width, about 4.5 cm. Petiole short and stout. Midrib 

 stout, curved, prominent on the lower surface of the leaf. Second- 



» Englohardt, H., Abh. Senck. Naturf. Gesell., vol. 19, p. 28, pi. 6, fig. 7, 1895. 

 < Idem., p. 26, pi. 6, figs. 3, 4. 



27177— 21— Proc.N.M.vol.59 12 



