122 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.54. 



These remains are clearly those of a grass. Several specimens of 

 different sizes are present, one slightly smaller and with two awns. 

 They are too incomplete for accurate characterization and are sup- 

 posed to represent a fossil species of Festuca, although they' may rep- 

 resent the aUied genus Bromus Linnaeus. 



The existing species of Festuca are mostly tufted perennials and 

 comprise upwards of 100 species, found on all the continents in tem- 

 perate situations and represented by tall species in the Ecuador Andes. 

 Bromus has about half as 'many existing species, is nearly as widely 

 distributed, but more prevailingly in the Northern Hemisphere, 

 although present in South America. It is temperate in habitat, 

 although sparingly present in montane equatorial regions. 



Cat. No. 35079, U.S.N.M. 



Genus POACITES Brongniart. 



POACITES, species, Engelhardt. 



Poadtes, species, Engelhardt, Sitz. Naturw. Gesell. Isis in Dresden, 1894, Abh. 

 1, p. 5, pi. 1, fig. 5. 



Description. — Fragments of the leaves of grasses are occasional in 

 the Potosi deposits. Engelhardt records and figures one under the 

 above name. They are not botanically determinable and are of inter- 

 est merely in indicating the presence of grasses in the Potosi flora 

 abeady more definitely indicated by the forms which I have referred 



to Festuca. 



Genus PHRAGMITES Trinius. 



PHRAGMITES, species. 



Plate 15, fig. 5. 



Description.— ^A fragment of a finely striated stem with short inter- 

 nodes indicates the presence of a rather large grass in the Potosi flora. 

 It is referred to Phragmites as a form genus for fossil grasses of unknown 

 generic affinity, and the remains are entirely too incomplete to be 

 characterized. 



Cat. No. 35080, U.S.N.M. 



Order ARECALES. 



Family ARECACEAE. 



Genus PALMOPHYLLUM Brongniart. 



PALMOPHYLLUM, species. 



Description. — ^A small fragment of the basal part of a leaf of a small 

 fan palm was collected from shales near La Palca mill about 12 kilo- 

 meters northwest of Potosi. 



It is too incomplete for generic identification, and its stratigraphic 

 position with relation to the Potosi tuffs is also unknown. 



