(81) 
SassaFRAS Nees & Eberm. Handb. Med. Pharm. Bot. 2: 
418. 1831. 
At the present day a monotypic genus of eastern North 
America, although inhabiting Europe before the Glacial 
period in both the Tertiary and Cretaceous ages. Numer- 
ous fossil leaves have been referred to this genus ranging 
from the Potomac formation upward. While some of these 
are undoubtedly ancestral Sassafras species, others are just 
as undoubtedly not related to Sassafras; for instance we 
would refer Sassafras Harkerianum, S. obtusum and S. 
cretaceum oblusum to Cissttes; we would refer S. d/ssectum, 
S. dissectum symmetricum, S. mirabtle, S. papillosum, S. 
recurvatunt, S. dentatum and .S. grossedentatum to Platanus 
or possibly to Protoplatanus. The two dozen or more an- 
cient American species occur in the following formations: 
Potomac 3, Cheyenne Sandstone 3, Raritan 4, Island Rari- 
tan 2, Matawan 1, Dakota 14, Vancouver 1, Canadian Up- 
per Laramie 2. 
Heer describes two species from Atane, one of which is 
identical with a Dakota form; one species from Patoot; and 
one from the Tertiary of Greenland. Velenovsky identifies S. 
acutilobum in the Cenomanian of Bohemia, and several species 
have been described from the European Tertiary formations. 
SASSAFRAS ACUTILOBUM Lesq. Fl. 45. f. 1, 2. 
Sassafras acutilobum Lesq. Cret. Flora, 79. pl. 14. f- 7, 
2. 1874; Cret. & Tert. Fl. 56. p2. 5. 4. 7, 5. 1883; Fl. 
Dak. Group, 100. 1892. Newb. Fl. Amboy Clays, 87. 
pl. 25. f. 1-10; pl. 26. f. 2-6. 1896; Later Ext. FI. 98. 
pl. 7. f. 1. 1898 > S. eretaceum. WHollick, Trans. N. 
Y. Acad. Sci. 12: 236. fl. 7. fi r. 1893. 16: 132. Pl. 
14. f. 73. 1897. Velen. Fl. Bohm. Kreidef. 4: 2. p2. 
2.f. 1. 1886. 
S. recurvatum Heer, Fl. Foss. Arct. 6: 74. pl. 39.f. 4. 
1882; not Lesq. 
There can be no doubt that this rather fragmentary leaf 
is referable to Sassafras acutilobum as commonly understood. 
