﻿298 
  Berry 
  — 
  Middle 
  Eocene 
  Member 
  of 
  the 
  " 
  Sea 
  Drift" 
  

  

  Art. 
  XXVI.— 
  A 
  Middle 
  Eocene 
  Member 
  of 
  the 
  "Sea 
  Drift"; 
  

  

  by 
  Edward 
  W. 
  Berry. 
  

  

  Studies 
  made 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  few 
  years 
  have 
  brought 
  to 
  

   light 
  extensive 
  fossil 
  floras 
  in 
  southeastern 
  ^orth 
  America 
  

   which 
  range 
  in 
  age 
  from 
  the 
  lower 
  Eocene 
  to 
  the 
  Pliocene. 
  

   Practically 
  all 
  of 
  these 
  are 
  coastal 
  floras 
  and 
  the 
  bulk 
  of 
  the 
  

   plants 
  discovered 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  strand 
  flora 
  and 
  comprise 
  many 
  

   plants 
  whose 
  fruits 
  or 
  seeds 
  are 
  normal 
  constituents 
  of 
  the 
  sea 
  

   drift 
  and 
  are 
  distributed 
  mainly 
  by 
  ocean 
  currents. 
  Among 
  

   these 
  are 
  such 
  striking 
  forms 
  as 
  the 
  Nipa 
  palm, 
  Dodonsea, 
  

   Sapindus, 
  Sophora, 
  Rhizophora, 
  Conocarpus, 
  Avicennia, 
  etc. 
  

   These 
  Tertiary 
  floras, 
  partially 
  published,* 
  indicate 
  pro- 
  

   gressively 
  warmer 
  climates 
  commencing 
  with 
  the 
  lower 
  Eocene 
  

   and 
  culminating 
  in 
  the 
  lower 
  Oligocene, 
  at 
  which 
  latter 
  time 
  

   tropical 
  climates 
  prevailed 
  throughout 
  this 
  region. 
  

  

  Some 
  years 
  ago 
  I 
  received 
  from 
  Mr. 
  Otto 
  Veatch 
  a 
  striking 
  

   seed 
  collected 
  by 
  him 
  from 
  the 
  middle 
  Eocene 
  of 
  western 
  

   Georgia. 
  This 
  has 
  remained 
  undescribed 
  until 
  now, 
  but 
  as 
  it 
  

   represents 
  such 
  a 
  well-defined 
  type 
  of 
  seed 
  of 
  the 
  tropical 
  or 
  

   sub-tropical 
  sea 
  drift 
  and 
  a 
  type 
  not 
  heretofore 
  represented 
  in 
  

   the 
  fossil 
  state 
  by 
  seeds, 
  it 
  seems 
  worthy 
  of 
  a 
  brief 
  note. 
  It 
  

   is 
  referred 
  to 
  the 
  genus 
  Carapa 
  of 
  the 
  family 
  Meliacese 
  and 
  

   may 
  be 
  characterized 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  Carapa 
  xylocarpoides 
  sp. 
  nov. 
  

  

  Seed 
  of 
  large 
  size, 
  somewhat 
  trapezoidal 
  or 
  pyramidal 
  in 
  

   outline, 
  tapering 
  toward 
  the 
  hilum, 
  rounded 
  distad. 
  Length 
  

   about 
  3'5 
  cra 
  , 
  maximum 
  width 
  about 
  3'5 
  cm 
  , 
  thickness 
  about 
  6 
  mm 
  . 
  

   The 
  lateral 
  margins 
  are 
  rounded. 
  The 
  distal 
  margins 
  tend 
  to 
  

   be 
  somewhat 
  angular 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  pronounced 
  

   angular 
  ridge 
  on 
  the 
  proximal 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  seed. 
  The 
  outline 
  

   and 
  the 
  decree 
  of 
  rounding 
  or 
  angulation 
  and 
  the 
  variability 
  

   are 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  mutual 
  pressure 
  of 
  the 
  seeds 
  of 
  a 
  head, 
  and 
  

   the 
  range 
  of 
  variation 
  among 
  existing 
  forms 
  is 
  considerable. 
  

   The 
  texture 
  is 
  ligneous 
  and 
  the 
  seeds 
  obviously 
  formed 
  part 
  of 
  

   the 
  middle 
  Eocene 
  sea 
  drift 
  and 
  are 
  contained 
  in 
  marine 
  

   sediments. 
  

  

  This 
  striking 
  form 
  is 
  unquestionably 
  referable 
  to 
  the 
  modern 
  

   genus 
  Carapa 
  Aublet 
  or 
  to 
  the 
  allied 
  genus 
  Xylocarpus 
  Konig 
  

   and 
  Jussieu, 
  the 
  latter 
  often 
  made 
  to 
  include 
  two 
  existing 
  

   oriental 
  species 
  frequently 
  referred 
  to 
  Carapa, 
  especially 
  in 
  the 
  

   older 
  literature. 
  The 
  differences 
  between 
  the 
  two 
  genera 
  are 
  

  

  * 
  Berry, 
  E. 
  W., 
  Lower 
  Eocene 
  Floras 
  of 
  Southeastern 
  North 
  America, 
  

   U. 
  S. 
  Geol. 
  Survey, 
  Prof. 
  Paper 
  91, 
  1916. 
  

  

  