II 



(4) Lester Ward (Glimpses of the Cosmos, iv, 191 5, p. 150) de- 



scribed a plant from the Laramie near Glendive, Montana, 

 calling it Xantholithes propheticus. He doubtfully referred 

 it to the Ophioglossaceae. 



(5) This Xantholithes is to the U. S. National Museum, and was 



recognized by Dr. Knowlton as similar to my fossil. 

 There can be no doubt, I believe, that it is congeneric, and 

 hence Ophioglossum hastatijorme becomes Xantholithes 

 hastatijorynis. 



(6) Ward's material shows that the plant is unlike anything 



living. Many efforts have been made both by Ward and 

 Knowlton, to get it classified, but so far without tangible 

 result. I concluded, after examining a good figure loaned 

 by Dr. Knowlton, that it was probably an alga. It was 

 accordingly sent to Dr. Howe, who writes me: "I had that 

 strange fossil for two or three weeks, but did not have the 

 nerve to say what it might be. . . . The cell structure 

 suggested at first that of the genus Caloglossa of the family 

 Delesseriaceae of the Red Algae, but I did not see how any 

 organism of that group could show no indication of branch- 

 ing, unless radiating from a center." My impression was 

 that it did radiate from a center, and my own feeling still 

 is that it is an alga, but of an extinct family (Xantholi- 

 thaceae). However, some one should ofi^er a medal for a 

 decisive solution, acceptable to botanists generally! 

 Suppose Marsilea had become extinct, and was known 

 only by some rather poor impressions in the rocks, should 

 we be able to form a reasonable opinion about its affinities? 

 It would present another such mystery. 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE CLUB 



Meeting of October 28, 1925 



This meeting was held at the New York Botanical Garden. 

 The program was as follows: 



Dr. H. A. Gleason exhibited specimens and discussed the 

 structure of two new species of Styracaceae from British Guiana. 

 The first of these is a Lissocarpa, difi^ering in several respects 

 from L. Bentha7ni Giirke, the only species hitherto known. The 



