258 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vou 51. 



teeth, and as may be seen, the secondaries, while arising at a some- 

 what more acute angle, are distinctly curved outward, and are often 

 branched. The peculiar oblique nervilles are also well brought out 

 in the new figure. 



In view of the above differences, as well as the improbability of a 

 European Eocene species persisting into the American upper Miocene, 

 it has seemed best to separate these leaves under a new name. It 

 has not been observed in any of the later collections. 



MYRICA HENDERSONI Cockerell. 



Myrica hendersoni Cockerell, Bull. Torr. Bot. Club, vol. 33, 1906, p. 308, fig. 



(in text) 1; Univ. Colorado Studies, vol. 3, 1906, p. 176, fig. 7. 

 Morella hendersoni (CocK-EREhh) Cockerell, Univ. Colorado Studies, vol. 3, 1906, 



p. 173. 



It has been found that Morella is untenable as a name for certain 

 species of Myrica, and as there appears to be so much uncertainty 

 regarding the nomenclature of this genus it seems best to employ 

 the better known term Myrica, at least until some agreement can be 

 reached. 



I have not seen specimens of this species, which, to judge from the 

 description and rather faint figure, appears to be quite distinct from 

 the other fonns of Myrica. Concerning it Cockerell says: 



At first sight, the leaves seem to be entire, and the plant looks like a Salix closely 

 allied to S. myrtilloides; on close inspection, however, the apical halves of the larger 

 leaves are seen to be sparingly dentate, irregularly and sharply, not at all in the manner 

 of Salix, but entirely as in Myrica ceri/era. 



MYRICA OBSCURA Lesqnereux. 



Myrica obscura Lesquereux, Kept. U. S. Geol. Siu^^. Terr., vol. 8 (Cret. and Tert. 

 Fl.), 1883, p. 145, pi. 32, figs. 8-10. 



Typesy-Cat. Nos. 1,630 [fig. 9], 1,629 [fig. 10], U.S.N.M. 



Lesquereux described this form as follows : 



Leaves linear-lanceolate, coarsely serrate, rounded in narrowing to the petiole, un- 

 equilateral at base; nervation obsolete. 



Two of the types of this species are in the United States National 

 Museum, and while they have a degree of likeness to Myrica drymeja, 

 and incHne to retain it as a valid species, they certainly have quite 

 a different facies from M. drymeja and may at least be held as dis- 

 tinct imtil further corroborative information one way or the other. 



Since the above was written I have just noted that Cockerell,* 

 in a postscript to his largest paper, has reached a similar conclusion. 

 He says: 



The collection of 1907 contains good material of Myrica obsciua Lx., which proves to 

 be a perfectly valid species, probably referable to Comptonia. 



I have not seen additional specimens, but so far as the types go it 

 does not seem that it should be referred to Comptonia. 



1 Cockerell, T. D. A., Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., vol. 24, 1908, p. 108. 



