Gress: Fossil Plants of the Dakota. . 305 



Geological Survey of the Territories, Vl', 1874, p. 81, PI. 11, figs. 3, 4, and 



PI. 2-], fig. 2. — Newberry, The Later Extinct Floras of North America, U. S. 



Geological Survey, Monograph XXXV, 1898, p. 98. 

 Cissites harkerianus Berry, Notes on Sassafras, Botanical Gazette, XXXIV, 



Dec, 1902, pp. 426—450. — Lesquereux, Cretaceous and Tertiary Floras, U. S. 



Geol. Surv. Terr., VIII, 18S3, p. 67, PI. 3. figs. 3, 4- 



Description: Leaf coriaceous, three-lobed, with obtusely pointed, 

 very short lobes; about 10 cm. from apex of central lobe to the 

 abruptly pointed base, about 10 cm. between apices of the lateral 

 lobes; petiole about 2 cm. long. The lateral primaries originate 

 about 2 cm. from the base and form an angle of about 40° with the 

 middle primary. A pair of secondaries branches from the petiole at 

 the juncture of the leaf-blade and extends out along the margin of 

 the leaf. The first pair of secondaries originates about 2.5 cm. above 

 the juncture of the lateral primaries. They extend to the shallow 

 sinuses. The secondaries are very strongly camptodrome. This 

 species has been referred to Sassafras cretaccum Newb. by Newberry, 

 op. cit. Berry and Lesquereux, op. cit., refer it to Cissites. 



Ocenrrence: Three well-preserved specimens of this species were 

 studied, all from Ellsworth County, Kansas: Dakota Sandstone (Cre- 

 taceous). The specimen described above is of the Baron de Bayet 

 Collection, Accession No. 2348; Nos. 7 a and 7h are from the U. S. 

 National Museum (C. M., Accession No. 4799)- All in Carnegie 

 Museum, Pittsburgh, Pa. 



34. Sassafras obtusum Lesquereux. 



Sassafras obtusum Lesquereux, Hayden's Annual Report, 1871, p. 303; and 

 1872, p. 424 ; Cretaceous Flora, Report of the U. S. Geological Survey of 

 the Territories, VI. 1874, p. 81, PL 13, figs. 2-4. 



Sassafras cretaceum Newb., Later Extinct Flora, U. S. Geological Survey, 

 Monograph XXXV, 1898, p. 98. (Synonyms given.) 



Description: There are three specimens which I have referred to 

 this species. Nos. 62a and 62b are upper and lower surfaces of the 

 same leaf. These are small and not complete, although the venation 

 is very distinct. No. 62 is a well preserved specimen, almost entire, 

 except the petiole and a portion of the decurrent base. It is about 

 II cm. long and of the same width. The venation is almost as dis- 

 tinct as that of a leaf from our modern Sassafras tree. Since there 

 is so much confusion about the synonomy of the Sassafras species. 



