Bei'vy — Cretaceo us Lycopodmm . 275 



Art. XXIX. — A Cretaceous Lijcajwdiuin • by Edward W. 



Berry.* 



Fossil remains of club mosses are exceedingly rare especially 

 in beds of Mesozoic age and sucli as have been described have 

 nearly all been based npon fragments of foliage not at all con- 

 clusive in character, since sneh fragments may, and usually are, 

 found to be referable to some conifer when additional or more 

 complete material subsequently becomes available. 



A number of forms have been described from the Paleozoic 

 which show some of the fructification characters and which 

 ally these ancient forms with the modern Lycopodiums. These 

 are usually referred to the genus Lycopodites of Brongniart. In 

 post-Paleozoic rocks, however, not a single specimen showing 

 the character of the fructification, and consequently referable 

 with certainty to Lycopodium, has been discovered, at least to 

 the writer's knowledge. 



Hence the following species is of considerable interest. The 

 remains are in the form of crushed impressions preserved in a 

 clay lens in the Upper Cretaceous sands near Middendorf, in 

 Chesterfield County, South Carolina. These beds are of earlj^ 

 Upper Cretaceous age and contain an abundant flora which 

 stamp them as about the same age as the Magothy formation 

 of the more northern Atlantic Coastal Plain, or according to 

 European standards, probably corresponding with the Turonian. 

 These lycopodiaceous remains consist of fruiting spikes or 

 fragments of spikes to the number of 17 specimens, and while 

 they leave much to be desired in the way of preservation, 

 enough is discernable to stamp them as closely allied to the 

 existing species of Lycopodium. These spikes are uot badly 

 crushed as is shown by fig. 1, which is a pliotograph of one of 

 the largest ones found. They are made up of a central stout 

 axis, bearing numerous rows of close set but poorly imbricated 

 bracts, each bract apparently subtending a large spheroidal 

 sporangium. 



The spikes show considerable differences in size, the shorter 

 and smaller ones being less crowded and somewhat lax in 

 appearance. The largest one collected is 5™' in length by 5'""' 

 in diameter and is nearly complete. The average dimensions 

 are, however, somewhat less than this. The bracts have a 

 nari'ow acute apex, a broad laminar somewhat thickened portion, 

 with a truncate or slightly cordate or refuse base and a short 

 peduncle. The margin is entire. Fig. 3 is a drawing of one 

 of these scales as it occurs slightly twisted and flattened out in 

 the clays. Fig. 4 is a diagrammatical drawing of a bract 

 showing the position of the sporangium. Figs. 5 and 6 are 

 diagrammatical sketches of the two modes of appearance of 

 * Published by perinissioa of the Director of the U. S. Geological Survey. 



