MAGNOLIACEAE. 



MAGNOLIA KOBUS DC. 



PL VIII, figs. 9-11. 



Broken seeds and fragments have been found at Reuver and Swalmen. They 

 agree with the better preserved specimens found at Tegelen and must be referred to the 

 same species. A recent seed of M. Kobus has been figured for comparison (fig. 9). Both 

 recent and fossil seeds of this species vary greatly in outline. 



LIRIODENDRON TULIPIFERA Linn. 

 PI. VIII, figs. 1-5. 



Seeds of Liriodendron occur in great profusion, but only a few broken fruits have 

 yet been obtained. The most perfect of these fruits is shown in fig. 2, though it happens 

 to be a very small or abortive one, only about half the size of a properly developed 

 carpel. It could not have contained seeds of the average size of our fossils. This specimen 

 shows the base and lower part of the carpel, most of the wing being broken off. At first 

 sight the carpel seems to be much wider than in the living L. tulipifera (fig. 5). But in the 

 recent fruit the lower and marginal part of the wing tends to curl inward somewhat. 

 The recent carpel has not been compressed ; but in our fossil, pressure has flattened the 

 wing, and has made the whole carpel appear wider than it should be. In width, shape, 

 and average size the Reuverian specimens are quite indistinguishable from the American 

 L. tulipifera; they do not approach the Chinese L. chinensis, which before its inflores* 

 cence and fruit was known, was thought to be a variety of L. tulipifera. 



The appearance of the fossil fruit is sufficiently shown by fig. 2, which has been 

 photographed on double the scale of the recent carpel, as it is an exceptionally small 

 specimen. 



The seeds of Liriodendron occur two together, as shown in fig. 1, and many of 

 the fossil seeds still adhere in pairs, though the carpel has decayed. The two seeds (unless 

 one happens to be abortive) are nearly always indented and facetted by mutual pressure, 

 so that any description of the shape of the fossils is difficult. The fossil seeds are usually 

 ovate or obovate, pointed above and below, have one side straightened, and near the 

 straight side show a depressed area where the adjoining seed overlapped. The surface 

 of the testa is granulate with minute tubercles or short longitudinal striae. 



Length of seed 4.0 to 5.0 mm., breadth 2.3 mm. Reuver, Swalmen, Brunssum. 



Abortive or badly developed seed are also common, and a good many symmetric 

 cally formed specimens have been noticed; these latter belong to carpels in which only 

 one ovule has developed, they must not be taken to represent another species. 



93 



