YON Ettixgshausex. — Fossll Flora of .Yr-?/- Zecdand. 303 



Proteace^. 



Knightiophyllum primsevum, sp. nov. 



Plate XXXII., fig. 12. 



E. foUis coriaceis ohovato oblongis, maygiiie argute dentatls; 

 nervatioiic camptodroma , ncrvo liriinario valido ; nervis secun- 

 dariis tenuibns, sub angulis 70^-80^ orieiitibus, margincm versus 

 flcxuosis,fere evanescentibus ; nervis tertiariis brevissiinis rcctan- 

 gularibus, dlctyodromis, vix conspiciiis. 



Localitij : Grey Eiver (?) (Otago Museum). 



The fossil leaf before me appears on a dark slate, which is 

 very similar to the slate from Grey Eiver, which came to hand 

 without designation of the locality. A considerably-charred 

 substance on the impression indicates a rigid leathery texture. 

 The shape of the leaf may be completed to an inverted oblong- 

 oviform. The edge is preserved only in one place, where it 

 shows close, rather uneven serrie, the points of which are 

 rather blunt. From a pronounced primary nerve start at 

 little-acute angles secondary nerves, which ascend in a curve 

 towards the edge, and which are distant from each other about 

 10mm. These nerves become so fine in their further course 

 that they are only visible under the microscope in a favourable 

 light ; at last these draw a short distance along the edge in a 

 remarkable winding manner, without however forming visible 

 loops. The tertiary nerves are in consequence of their fineness 

 only preserved in a few places in the unfavourable stone, and 

 consequently it is only perceptible that they dissolve in a con- 

 fused reticulation of close meshes. The characteristics named 

 indicate the genus Knight ia (compare Ettingsh., " Leaves of the 

 Apetala?," Memoir, vol. xv., pi. 42 and 43), which, in our 

 epOwh, is only indigenous to New Zealand and New Caledonia. 

 The fossil species seems to be distinguished from tlie most 

 similar New Zealand K. cxcclsa, R. Brown, only by the in- 

 verted oviform-oblong leaves, and the secondary nerves, which 

 ascend along the edge. 



Our fossil is distinguished froni the second species of this 

 genus, the New Caledonian K. strobilina, R. Brown, only by 

 the serrations of the edge of the leaf ; but, as the shape of the 

 leaf agrees more with the second species, we must assume 

 that Knightiophyllum primccvum according to its characteris- 

 tics stands between both living species, and must consequently 

 be considered as the parent plant of these. 



A similar fossil leaf has appeared also in the Eocene flora 

 at Dalton, near Gunning, in New South Wales, which I 

 attributed to Knightia, and which I compared with K. excelsa, 

 R. Brown (" Contributions to the Tertiary Flora of Australia," 

 I. Memoir, vol. xlvii., p. 128; pi. iv., fig.7). 



