174 THE SCOTTISH BOTANICAL REVIEW 



In Cretaceous times palms reached as far north as Greenland, where 

 Heer records Fasciculites gronlandicus. Massalongo records under 

 the genus Scitaminophyton^ a fossil which may be a palm from the 

 Tertiary of Rouca. Geonomites schimperi described by Lesquereux 

 from North America may be a Chamcedorea. 



Some forms may well be compared with Sabal, as Be^nbergia 

 pentatrias, Caspary, and Phce-nix eichleri, Conw., from the amber of 

 Samland. 



An inflorescence described by Crie as PalcBospathe sarthensis from 

 the chalk of Sarthe, a genus which includes many indeterminable 

 species, may be compared with Sabal or Phanix (date-palm). 



Some species with palmate leaves referred to Phoinix, e.g. P. 

 aytfiardi, Sap., Phcenicites spectabilis, Ung., and Ph.borealis, Friedsrich, 

 may be placed amongst the Phceniceje, as also Calamopsis bredana, 

 Heer, of the Tertiary of (Eningen. In Laiaiiites we have fan-shaped 

 leaves of the Sabal or Chamcerops type. Both the present distribu- 

 tion of the Sabalaceje and Phceniceae is borne out by the evidence of 

 the fossil forms, 



The fossils called by Heer Chamcerops helvetica, Heer, from the 

 Swiss Tertiaries, are in a fair state of preservation and may be rightly 

 referred to that genus. Likewise may Ch. humilis, L., Tufa of Lipari, 

 and Sabal major, Ung., Oligocene and Miocene, S. campbelli, 

 Lesqx., Tertiary, North America, doubtless be referred to the genera 

 in which they have been placed. 



Nipadites may furthermore include fruits of palms, though equally 

 like those of Pandanus. Thus side by side with Sabal, Phoenix, 

 other palms lived in the Tertiary of Europe, all trace of which is 

 now obliterated by climatic and other changes. 



xii. AroidecE. 



Many fossils having no connection with the group, or too imperfect 

 for an exact determination, have been referred to the Araceae. Many 

 of the fossils referred to Aroites or Aronites, must, however, be 

 excluded. 



Aroides stiitterdi, Cam, from the Stonesfield State, described as 

 portion of the spadix of an Aroid, and compared with Xanthosto?tia 

 by the author of the species, is regarded by Professor Seward as too 

 unsatisfactory to determine whether it is the cast of an animal or 

 plant. 



Aroites tallyanus, Kovats, may be a conifer. The fragments 

 described by Lesquereux, from the Tertiary of North America, as 

 Acorns brachystachys are "doubtful, the plant so named, also by Heer, 

 from Spitzbergen, appears to have more claim to be referred to 

 Acorus, and bears some likeness to A. gramineus, Ait., of Japan. 



According to Conwentz the species named Carex eximia, by 

 Goppert and Menge, is also an Acorus, and his Acorus minor has a 

 cylindrical inflorescence, 20 mm. long, with spirally-arranged, pointed, 

 cylindrical fruit. 



