Berry — Restoration of Neocala mites. 445 



Art. XXIX. — A Restoration of Neocalamites; by 

 Edward W. Berry. 



Evidence is gradually being accumulated that the break 

 between the floras of the Paleozoic and the earlier Meso- 

 zoic was not nearly so marked as the older students 

 imagined, and that a considerable number of the plant 

 types that have always been regarded as distinctly 

 Paleozoic were represented by Mesozoic descendants, 

 which in several instances, as in the case of Calamites, 

 Sigillaria and Cordaites, were not very different from 

 their Paleozoic ancestors. 



The genus Neocalamites furnishes a striking illustra- 

 tion of' this dictum. It was proposed by Halle 1 in 1908 

 for certain forms from the upper Triassic that had pre- 

 viously been referred to the illy understood genus 

 Schizoneura of Schimper and Mougeot. 2 The species 

 that are referred to Neocalamites at the present time, 

 with their occurrences, are as follows : 



Neocalamites meriani Brongniart, Keuper of Europe (Bavaria, 



Baden, Switzerland). 

 Neocalamites hoerensis Schimper, Rha?tie of Europe (Baden, 



Hanover, Sweden). Also recorded from the lower Gresten 



sandstone of northern Hungary on the boundary between 



the Rhsetic and lower Lias. 

 Neocalamites carrerei Zeiller, Rha?tic of Tonkin, South Africa 



and Sonora, Mexico. 

 Neocalamites virginiensis Fontaine, Keuper of Virginia. 

 Neocalamites knowltoni Berry, Keuper of Virginia. 



The most Calamite-like of these species of Neocalamites 

 is undoubtedly the one described by the writer 3 from the 

 Triassic of the Richmond basin in Virginia as Neocala- 

 mites knowltoni. This is strongly suggestive of the 

 Aimularia type of Paleozoic Calamite foliage, as for 

 example, the widespread type known as Annularia 

 splienopliylloides. It differs from Annularia in having 

 all the leaves of a whorl similar in size and probably free 

 to the base. 



1 Halle, T. G., Zur Kenntniss der Mesozoisehen Equisetales Setwedens. 

 Kgl. Svensk. Vetens.-Akad. Handl., 43, p. 56, 190S. 



2 Schimper and Mougeot, Mon. PI. f oss. Gres bigarre Vosges, p. 48, 1844. 

 3 Berrv, E. W., American Triassic Neocalamites, Botanical Gazette, 53, 



pp. 174-180, pi. 17, 1912. 



