196 PINITES. 



Pinites Solmsi, sp. nov. 



[PL XVIII. Figs. 2 and 3. PL XIX.] 



Type. Cones attached to leaf -bearing branches. British Museum. 



Some of the specimens referred to this species, closely resemble 

 Pinites Carruthersi, Garcl., but in view of the much more perfect 

 nature of the Kufford material, and the doubtful identity of 

 Gardner's type, I have ventured to found a new species. The 

 specific name Solmsi has been adopted as a slight record of 

 Graf zu Solms-Laubach's services to Mesozoic palseobotany. The 

 species may be thus defined : 



Short lateral branches covered with well-marked elongated bases 

 of the scale leaves, in the axil of which are borne the short shoots 

 with long needle-like leaves. Cones oblong in form, with broad 

 scales similar to those of the Sfrobus section of the recent genus 

 Piinis, or those of Picea and Abies. 



In Pinites Carruthersi the scales have a similar form, but 

 slightly larger, and with a more flattened thin upper border. In 

 a few specimens of this species the needles are in place, but do 

 not show the manner of attachment of the leaves with sufficient 

 clearness, to enable us to determine how many needles are borne 

 on each short shoot. It is possible, indeed, that the leaves arise 

 direct from the large branches, as in Abies and Picea, but the 

 form and size of the needles are much more in accordance with 

 the characters of the genus Pinus. 



V. 2146. PI. XIX. Fig. 1. 



Portions of four unripe cones, apparently in place ; possibly the 

 three uppermost cones are in their natural position, and the lower 

 one displaced. The clearly marked impressions of the bracts show 

 their rounded outline very distinctly: cf. P. Carruthersi, Gard., 

 and P. Andreei, Coem., as figured by Gardner. 1 Similar to Abietites 

 ellijrficus, Font., 2 but smaller. The surface of the cones is 

 marked by a number of fine longitudinally running striations. 

 The branches are covered with well-preserved decurrent leaf 

 cushions. There are no leaves in their position of growth, but 

 several fragments of needles occur on the rock surface. Eccles- 

 bourne. Rujford Coll. 



1 Gardner, loc. cit. fig. 1. 



2 Potomac Flora, pi. cxxxiii. figs. 2-4. 



