454 Systematic Paleontology 



Order GRAMINALES 



Family CYPERACEAE 



Genus CYPERACITES Schimper 

 [Pal. Vgg^t, tome ii, 1870, p. 412] 



This genus was proposed by Schimper for those fossil remains includ- 

 ing fragments of rhizomes, culms, leaves, inflorescences, fruits, etc., whose 

 reference to the family Cyperacese seems justified, but which cannot be 

 satisfactorily compared with any of the existing genera of that family. 



It is strictly a form genus and was designed to replace the genus 

 Cyperites of Heer since the latter name as originally proposed by Lind- 

 ley and Hutton was applied to carboniferous leaves of Sigillaria. Schim- 

 per in 1870 (loc. cit.) listed 33 species of Cyperacites and a^bout as many 

 more have been described since that date, nearly all coming from Ter- 

 tiary strata. Some doubtful remains of parallel- veined leaves from the 

 Upper Cretaceous have, however, been referred to this genus. The 

 Lower Cretaceous records are similar to those of the Upper Cretaceous 

 and are very indefinite in character; they include certain vague material 

 recorded by Dawson^ from the Kootanie of British Columbia and two 

 types of leaves recorded by Heer " from the Kome beds of Greenland. 



The following species from the Patapsco formation of Maryland, while 

 it leaves much to be desired, is of considerable interest, since it is by 

 far the oldest known sedge which has been preserved with sufficient of 

 its parts to render its reference to this family certain. While remains 

 of sedges and grasses showing flowers or fruits are not unknown in the 

 fossil state all have come from comparatively recent deposits, that is to 

 say, late Eocene or younger. 



The family Cyperacese in the existing flora is a large one with several 

 thousand species distributed among about 70 genera, of which the 

 ubiquitous genus Carex is by far the largest. The species are chiefly 

 temperate in habitat but many of them have a very wide range. 



* Dawson, Trans. Roy. Soc. Can., vol. x, sec. Iv, 1892, p. 91, tf. 16. 



"Hear, Fl. Foss. Arct., Band ili, 1874, p. 86, pi. xii, fig. 4b; pi. xxiv, fig. 4. 



