Miocene Tertiary.} PALEONTOLOGY OF VICTORIA. [Plants. 



Plate XL., Figs. 1-3. 

 CINNAMOMUM POLYMORPHOIDES (McCoy.) 



[Genus CINNAMOMUM (Burm.). (Class Exogense. Sub-class Monochlamydese. Order 

 Lauracefe.) 



Gen. Char. — Leaves coriaceous, entire, tri-nerred. (Other characters omitted as not ob- 

 Berved in our fossils.) 



A living Indian and Tertiary (from beginning of Miocene) genus of Lauraceous trees and 

 shrubs.] 



Description. — Leaf petiolate, ovato-elliptical, greatest width about the middle 

 apical half tapering' more gradually than the basal half; apex submucronate ; mid- 

 rib strong, two lateral ribs slightly more slender than the midrib, from which they 

 arise above the base, running nearly parallel with the margin to about ^rd of the 

 length from the apex, when they unite with the secondary nerves ; outer side of each 

 lateral rib with branching veins arising at a little less than a right angle ; usual 

 length of leaf, about 4 inches; width, 1-^ inches. (Var. major nearly double those 

 dimensions.) 



The types of foliage agreeing with our fossil are very common 

 in the tropical and sub-tropical Asiatic localities at the present day, 

 but are of a different facies from the living or Pliocene Tertiary 

 Australian forms. 



This is a much longer and thicker, or more coriaceous leaf than 

 the C polt/morphum (Al. Braun) so abundant in the Miocene 

 plant beds in every part of the world, and the outline of the lower 

 half is more widely rounded or less rapidly tapering to the base. 

 It agrees, however, with that species in the form of the distal half 

 of the leaf, and in the origin of the lateral ribs and their losing 

 themselves in the secondary veins instead of reaching the apex 

 nearly, as in C. Rossmdssleri (Heer). I have carefully compared 

 our species with specimens of the true C. polymorphum (Al. Braim) 

 from the Upper Miocene Braunkohle or Blatterkohle of Katt near 

 Bonn, and from the Molasse or Braunkohle sandstone of Quegstein 

 in the Siebengebirge as to the less tapering base and similar venation 

 of our species. I have not found the fi-uit or flowers which have 

 been frequently found with the European analogue. 



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