no. 1821. REVISION OF POTOMAC PLANTS— BERRY. 303 



Great Falls, Montana, which Professor Fontaine has identified as 

 Gly ptostrobus ramosum, but which is in all probability Ghjptostrobus 

 groenlandicus Heer and not identical with the Potomac species, 

 although detached twigs of the two may and do show considerable 

 similarity. 



The material from the Fuson formation of eastern Wyoming which 

 Fontaine referred to his Ghjptostrobus brookensis, a synonym of Wid- 

 dringtonites ramosus, is clearly identical with Sphenolepis leurriana 

 (Dunker) Schenk, which occurs in the same beds with it, and quite 

 different from the species under discussion. 



Widdriiigtonites ramosus is a characteristic species of the Patapsco 

 formation both in Maryland and Virginia and occurs in considerable 

 abundance at numerous localities. It is undoubtedly the ancestor 

 of Widdringtonites reichii (Ettingshausen) Heer of the Paritan and 

 Magothy formations. 



Occurrence. — Patapsco formation: Vinegar Hill, Fort Foote 

 Overlook Inn Road, Stump Neck, near Wellhams, Maryland; Mount 

 Vernon, Hell Hole, White House Bluff, near Brooke, 72 milepost, 

 Virginia. 



Collections. — U. S. National Museum. 



THE GENUS BRACHYPHYLLTJM. 



The genus Brachyphyllum was proposed by Brongniart in 1828 * 

 for conifers with short, fleshy, spirally arranged leaves attached by 

 their broad rhomboidal bases. The type-species, Brachyphyllum 

 mamillare from the Lower Oolite, was described, but not figured, and 

 was placed under the heading conifere doutense. In 1849 the same 

 author 2 compared this genus with the existing genera Arthrotaxis, 

 Widdringtonia, and Gly ptostrobus. Schimper 3 in 1872 somewhat 

 restricted the genus and also extended Brongniart's diagnosis. 

 Saporta 4 also gives a rather well-illustrated account of Brachyphyllum 

 figuring Brongniart's type and pointing out its doubtful botanical 

 affinity. Seward 5 regards Brachyphyllum as a purely provisional 

 genus, the actual botanical position of which is very uncertain, and 

 further states that it is quite probable that more than one family of 

 conifers are included under this name. Comparisons have been made 

 at various times with the modern subfamilies Araucariese, Taxodiese, 

 and Cupressese, especially with the Tasmanian genus Arthrotaxus of 

 Don and the Araucarian species Araucaria imbricata. 



Brachyphyllum may be defined as a genus of arborescent conifers 

 the twigs of which are thick and club-shaped, irregularly distichous 



i Brongniart, Prodrome, 1828, p. 109. * Saporta, Pal. franc, 1S83, vol. 3, p. 310. 



2 Brongniart, Tableau, 1849, p. 69. & Seward, Cat. Wealden Flora, pt. 2, 1895, p. 214. 



a Schimper, Trait6, vol. 2, 1872, p. 334. 



