Gress : Fossil Plants of the Dakota. 303 



30. Sassafras dissectum Lesquereux. 

 Sassafras {Araliopsis) dissectum Lesquereux, The Cretaceous and Tertiary 

 Floras, U. S. Geological Survey of the Territories, VIII, 1883, p. 57; The 

 Flora of the Dakota Group, U. S. Geological Survey, Monograph XVII, 

 1892, lOI, PI. 14, fig. I. 



Description: The leaf very closely resembles, in shape and veining, 

 the figure shown in The Flora of the Dakota Group, op. cit. It is, 

 however, smaller, being only about 14 cm. long and 16 cm. wide. 

 The veining is so distinctly that of 5". (Araliopsis) dissectum that it 

 needs no description. Lesquereux, in the same description, says : 

 " This form has not been seen among the numerous specimens of 

 fossil plants examined from the Dakota Group until recently." Les- 

 quereux's leaf, as well as this one, should probably be referred to 

 Plat anus. 



Occurrence : Ellsworth County, Kansas, Dakota Sandstone (Cre- 

 taceous). Baron de Bayet Collection, Accession No. 2348, Carnegie 

 Museum, Pittsburgh, Pa. (No. 4^). Former reports give its habitat 

 as near Fort Marker, Kansas. 



31. Sassafras cretaceum Newberry. 

 Sassafras cretaceum Newberry, Annals New York Lyceum of Natural His- 

 tory, IX, Apr. 1868, p. 14; The Later Extinct Floras of North America, 

 U. S. Geological Survey, Monograph XXXV, 1898, p. 98, PL 6, figs. 1-4; 

 PI. 7, figs. 1-3, and PI. 8, figs, i, 2. (Synonyms given.) 



Lesquereux, Illustrations of Cretaceous and Tertiary Plants, 1878, PI. 6, 

 figs. 1-4. 

 Berry, Notes on Sassafras, Botanical Gazette, XXXIV, 1902, p. 444. 



Description: "Leaves petiolate, decurrent at base, very smooth 

 above, strongly nerved below; three-lobed ; lobes entire and acute. 

 The nervation is all strongly defined; the central nerve straight or 

 nearly so; the lateral primary nerves springing from it at an angle 

 of 30° ; secondary nerves regularly arched till they approach the 

 margin of the lobes, when they are abruptly curved and run together. 

 From these the tertiary nerves are given off at a right angle, and 

 from these the quaternary nerves spring at a similar angle, together 

 forming a network of which the areoles are sub-quadrate." The 

 above is Newberry's original description. There are five specimens 

 which I have referred to this species. None of our leaves are com- 

 plete, some being mere fragments. In general appearance and nerva- 

 tion they agree with Newberry's description. 



