ii6 



A NEW SALVINIA FROM THE EOCENE 



Edward W. Berry 



The nominal fossil species of Salvinia number about a dozen, 

 but they are always sufficiently rare to be of unusual interest. 

 Several that have been described are poorly characterized or of 

 doubtful botanical affinity so that the form which is the subject 

 of the present note is well worthy of being called to the attention 

 of botanists. 



The most ancient known, as well as one of the best character- 

 ized, forms of Salvinia is Salvinia Zeilleri described very thor- 

 oughly by Fritel^ and coming from the Sparnacian stage (lower 

 Eocene) of the Paris basin. Next in point of age is the new 

 species which is the subject of the present note. 



This is represented by considerable material from the so- 

 called Bridger formation of the Wind River basin in Wyoming 

 collected by N. H. Brown; and by less extensive but more com- 

 plete material from two localities in the Wilcox Eocene of western 

 Tennessee collected by R. E. L. Collins. It may be incom- 

 pletely characterized as follows: 



Salvinia preauriculata Berry, n. sp. Figs. 1-4 



Dorsal or floating leaves relatively thick, elliptical in outline, 

 with a rounded apex and a rounded or slightly cordate base; 

 varying in size, the maximum dimensions observed being 16 

 millimeters in length and 10 millimeters in width. The midvein 

 is well defined. The laterals are thin, nearly straight, diverging 

 at regular intervals, very ascending in the tip of the leaf, the 

 angle of divergence increasing regularly proximad, the basal 

 laterals being sometimes even slightly descending; they are con- 

 nected by numerous thin and for the most part poorly seen 

 oblique veinlets. The tubercles or pits lie in rows between the 

 laterals and are usually well marked but somewhat irregularly 

 developed. No ventral (submerged) leaves or sporocarps have 

 been observed in the Wyoming material although spherical bodies 

 about 2 millimeters in diameter are in close association with the 

 leaves and these might possibly represent sporocarps. The 

 specimen shown in fig. 4 from the Wilcox at Mandy, Tennessee, 



^ Fritel, P. H., Jour. Bot. (2) 1 : 190. 1908. 



