Berry : Araucarian remains 255 



Araucaria bladenensis sp. nov. 



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Foliage dense ; phyllotaxy spiral ; leaves decurrent, coriaceous, 

 ovate-lanceolate, about 1.6 x .8 cm., the base rounded, apex thick- 

 ened, cuspidate ; veins immersed, averaging 16 in number, straight, 

 parallel; stomata small, in rows on ventral surface. (Plates 12 



AND 13 ; PLATE 1 4, FIGURES I-3.) 



Leaves ranging from i to 2.8 cm. in length by .5-1.2 cm. in 

 width, averaging 1.6 by .8 cm., obovate in outline, with a broad 

 rounded base narrowing abruptly and decurrent ; the blade 

 broadest about one third of the distance from the base, above 

 which point it narrows rapidly to a thickened cuspidate tip ; phyl- 

 lotaxy spiral ; leaf-substance represented by a thick sheet of lig- 

 nite about .5 mm. thick, in which the veins are immersed. These 

 veins average 14 to 16 in number, although occasionally there 

 may be as many as 20 ; they are stout, incurved at the base 

 (forking not observed), becoming parallel and running directly 

 upward until they abut against the leaf margin, i e., not conver- 

 gent toward the tip of the leaf. When this species was first col- 

 lected it was thought that it might be sufficiently well preserved 

 to show the internal structure when studied by the admirable 

 methods devised by Professor Jeffrey for treating more or less re- 

 fractory remains of this sort. Professor Jeffrey, who has been 

 good enough to examine some of these leaves for me with this end 

 in view, writes that in spite of their hopeful megascopic appear- 

 ance their microscopic structure is not preserved. 



In one or two instances where the specimens are in a more 

 argillaceous matrix it has been possible to get rather inferior spec- 

 imens showing the arrangement and outlines of the stomata (plate 

 14. figure 3). These are broadly ovate in shape with very thin guard 

 cells (at least when viewed on the surface). They are arranged in 

 somewhat irregular rows on the ventral surface of the leaf, the 

 number of rows between the two veins being usually four. Aside 

 from the foregoing facts, the preservation is such that no other 

 details can be made out. 



This species is most remarkably similar to the recent Araucaria 

 Bidivilli of the Australian region, a twig of which, kindly furnished 

 by the New York Botanical Garden, has been photographed and in- 

 troduced on plate 1 5 for comparison. The resemblance is even 

 closer than the reproductions indicate, a dried herbarium specimen 



