I was impressed with its resemblance to the capsular fruits of 

 various members of the order Malvales and entertained no doubt 

 but that its determination would prove to be a simple matter. 

 Such was not the case, for a diligent search of collections and of 

 the literature, and consultation with a number of systematic 

 botanists proved to be without results of any value. 



Exteriorly the specimen appeared to represent a coriaceous or 

 ligneous, four-valved, indehiscent capsule with parietal placentae, 

 suggesting comparisons with various existing Sterculiaceae and 

 Bombacaceae such as the genera Pachira, Bombax, Bombacopsis, 

 Tribroma, etc. All these are, however, normally five-celled. 

 The African genus Bersama of the family Meliaceae is the only 

 one that came to my notice that has somewhat similar, large, 

 four-celled capsules. Among fossil forms there was a great 

 superficial resemblance to the Wilcox Eocene genus Sterculio- 

 carpus, also five-celled. 



Sections of the fossil fruit at once revealed the fact that, 

 despite its appearance, it was not capsular in nature, since there 

 are no traces of partitions in the transverse section, and it became 

 evident that the specimen represented an interior cast of a hard 

 shelled, gourd-like fruit, and I have no doubt but that it should 

 be referred to the family Cucurbitaceae. A new genus is here 

 proposed for its reception, and, because of its resemblance to the 

 tropical American genus Calycophysum of Triana, this new 

 genus is called Calycophysoides, and the species is named in 

 honor of Professor Ball. It may be described as follows: 



Calycophysoides balli gen. et sp. no v. 



Fruit a gourd, prolate spheroidal in shape, the interior cast 

 8.3 centimeters in length and 5.1 centimeters in maximum 

 diameter, with four parietal placentae not equally spaced nor 

 equally developed, in life filled with pulpy material and contain- 

 ing numerous small seeds. What appear to be the outlines of 

 seeds are preserved around the periphery of thecast where they 

 have been eroded out or rotted away subsequent to calcification. 

 These appear to have been relatively small, 3 to 4 millimeters in 

 length, broader and more rounded at one end, bluntly pointed 

 at the other, and with one diameter greater than the other, that 

 is, they were slightly compressed. Allowing for the hardened 

 pericarp which permitted the formation of the cast, the specimen 



