FLOKA OF THE TEETIAET PEEIOD. 



753 



spermous Dicotyledons and of Monocotyledons, more especially of 

 Palms. By this it is distinguished from the more ancient periods. 

 Angiosperms at this period greatly exceed Gymnosperms. Oycadaceae 

 are very rare, if not completely wanting, in the European Tertiary 

 strata, and the Ooniferse belong to genera of the temperate regions. 



4 b a b ■ ^ ^ ■ * *i *t * 



Fig. 941. 



Fig. 942. 



In the lower Tertiaries, Oarruthers has found a fossU Osmunda. In 

 the Tertiary beds some of the Pinese are found. The Cupressinese 

 occur in the Tertiary beds only. Taxodiese are represented by 

 Sequoia in the Cretaceous and Eocene shale. Pence australis of Van 

 Diemen's Land and P. Pritchardi of Ireland are Tertiary plants. 

 Isoetes is mentioned by Schimper as a Tertiary genus. Although the 

 vegetation throughout the whole of the Tertiary period presents pretty 

 uniform characters, still there are notable differences in the generic 

 and specific forms, and in the predominance of certain orders at dif- 

 ferent epochs. In the Eocene formation, the fossil fruits of the Isle 

 of Sheppey increase the number of Phanerogamous plants, only a 

 small proportion of which have as yet been described. This is an 

 exceptional locality, and is perhaps an example of the effects of cur- 

 rents in conveying exotic plants from remote climates. 



The Eocene epoch in general is characterised by the predomi- 

 nance of AlgsB and marine Naiadacese, such as Caulinites and Zosterites; 



Fig. 940. Section of a recent Palm stem, to show its stmctnre. The dark dots marking 

 vascular handles in the midst of cellular tissue. Fig. 941. A portion of the same magni- 

 fied, to show the vascular hundles. Fig. 942. Falmacites Lamanonis (Flahellaria litigiosa). 

 Leaf of a Monocotyledon resembling a Palm. 



3 



