306 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.40. 



ually to an obtuse point; leaf-scars of young leaves elliptical in shape, slightly pro- 

 longed in the direction of the axes of the stems, and such leaves seem to have been 

 fleshy, slightly convex, and with a free tip slightly keeled in the upper half; with 

 age the leaves become broader and more convex, being broadly elliptical, almost 

 circular, and they leave similar scars after their fall; when crowded and dilated with 

 age the leaves and leaf-scars are subrhombic or rhombic in shape; the surface of the 

 leaves, which is very rarely preserved, shows fine tubercles or dots, arranged in 

 curving lines parallel to their margins and converging toward their tips; cones small, 

 globular, or subelliptical in shape, attached laterally to the penultimate twigs, taking 

 the place of ultimate branches; scales numerous, spirally arranged, touching, shape 

 not made out, but probably with age rhombic and polygonal. 



This species is fairly common in Virginia in beds of both Patuxent 

 and Patapsco age, while in Maryland it occurs exclusively, as far as 

 known, in deposits referred to the Patapsco formation. 



Brachyphyllum crassicaule is very similar to the European Brachy- 

 phyllum obesum Heer * with which Seward 2 unites it tentatively. 

 This latter species is found in the English Wealden and in the 

 Urgonian and Aptian of Portugal. While these European and 

 American forms are very similar, it should be remembered that this 

 similarity runs through all the members of this genus, and these two 

 species are so widely removed geographically it has seemed best to 

 maintain their distinctness. Brachyphyllum obesiforme Saporta 3 

 from beds of Albian age in Portugal is also very similar to the forms 

 under discussion. Finally the Patapsco species is very similar to the 

 single Upper Cretaceous species of America, Brachyphyllum macro- 

 carpum Newberry, and is undoubtedly its ancestral form. 



Occurrence. — Patuxent formation : Trents Reach and Dutch Gap, 

 Virginia; Patapsco formation: Near Brooke, near Widewater, 

 Dumfries Landing, Virginia; Fort Foote, Federal Hill (Baltimore), 

 near Glymont, Stump Neck, Maryland. 



Collections. — U. S. National Museum, Johns Hopkins University, 

 Maryland Academy of Sciences, Goucher College of Baltimore. 



BRACHYPHYLLUM PARCERAMOSUM Fontaine. 



Brachyphyllum parceramosum Fontaine, Monogr. TJ. S. Geol. Surv., vol. 15, 

 1890, p. 223, pi. 110, fig. 4.— Fontaine, in Ward, Monogr. U. S. Geol. Surv., 

 vol. 48, 1906, pp. 517, 538. 



Brachyphyllum texense Fontaine, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 16, 1893, p. 269, 

 pi. 38, figs. 3-5; pi. 39, figs. 1, la. 



Description. — Fontaine's original description was as follows; 



Twigs branching sparingly and dichotomously; leaves and leaf-scars elliptical to 

 subrhombic, with the longer dimensions in the direction of the length of the twigs; 

 leaves convex, spirally arranged, showing a keel in their upper portions, closely 

 appressed, contiguous, prolonged very slightly at the tips, branches cylindrical, of 

 the same thickness throughout; so far as can be seen about 4 mm. in diameter. 



i Heer*, Contr. Flora Foss. Port., 1881. p. 20, pi. 17, figs. 1-4. 

 'Seward, Wealden Flora, pt. 2, 1895, p. 218, pi. 17, fig. 9; pi. 20, figs.t, 

 * Saporta, Flora foss. Port., 1S94, p. 176, pi. 31, figs. 12, 13; pi. 33, fig. 4; pi. 34, fig. 8. 



