belonging to Alnus, for these isolated specimens are often better than any that we can 

 dissect out of the cones. Fig. 12 shows a small cone, probably belonging to one of the 

 species above described; but it cannot be satisfactorily identified. Figs. 17, 18 represent 

 fragments of male catkins. 



FAGACEAE. 



FAGUS DECURRENS Sp. nov. 

 PI. V, figs. 19,20,22—28. 



Cupula parva, basi truncata, pedunculo brevi crasso conoideo suffulta; 

 bracteae ex ovatis ad lanceolatas, dense setosae; setae acutae, interdum furcatae, 

 striatae; CUPULA OB setas basi valde decurrentes ut videtur, valde striata. 



Cupules and nuts of Fagus are very abundant at Reuver, Swalmen, and Bruns* 

 sum, and a few specimens show the nuts in place. Notwithstanding the variability in 

 the width of the fruiting bract all the specimens obviously belong to one species. 



Cupule small truncate below, peduncle short thick conical; bracts usually nar* 

 rower and more acute than in F.silvatica, but varying from ovate to lanceolate, very 

 bristly ; bristles pointed, occasionally forked, striate, and strongly decurrent at the base, 

 giving the cupule a conspicuously ribbed appearance ; inside of cupule grooved. 



Length 15 mm. (rarely larger), breadth 12 mm. Reuver, Swalmen, Brunssum. 



Nut resembling those of F. silvatica and F. orientalis in texture and like them 

 broadly winged above, but much smaller and style apparently longer. 



We have compared the fossil fruits with those of all the living species. Though 

 they show points of resemblance to several, they also show consistent differences which 

 must be regarded as of specific rank. The species which they most closely resemble are 

 F. silvatica and F. ferruginea. 



They agree with F. silvatica in having pointed recurved spines, and in the char* 

 acter of the nuts; but differ in their much smaller size, and in the strongly sribbed 

 decurrent bases of their spines, which give the whole cupule a markedly striate appear* 

 ance. In order to illustrate this difference we have figured (Pi. V, fig. 21) a recent 

 somewhat decayed and weathered small cupule of F. silvatica. This was selected as the 

 nearest approach we can discover to our fossil species. 



The fossil cupules bear a close resemblance to those of F. ferruginea in all characters ; 

 but the seeds are much smaller and are not exerted, as is the case with F. ferruginea. 



The illustrations of F. pliocaenica Geyl. et Kink. * greatly resemble our fossil in 

 outline ; but their specific description makes it impossible to refer our fossil to the same 

 species. Engelhardt and Kinkelin write "von Fagus silvatica unterscheiden sich diese 

 Becker nicht durch die Grosze, sondern nur durch den Mangel der Zotten". Ours on 

 the other hand are decidedly smaller than F. silvatica, are still more spiny, and have 



* Oberpliocane Flora und Fauna des Untermaintales, Abb. Senckenbevgischen Naturforsch. 

 Gesellsch., Bd. 29, Heft 3 (1 908), PI. XXIX, Figs. 1,3,4. 



78 



