GENUS FLORIN I TES 



49 



information is needed before this important 

 descriptive work can be undertaken. 



There appears to be little doubt that 

 Florinites is of gymnospermic origin. How- 

 ever, Hoskins and Cross (1946) report 

 the presence of abundant pollen grains of 

 the Florinites type in the pollen chamber 

 of F achy testa vera. Florin (1944) illus- 

 trates the pollen grains of Lebachia pini- 

 f or mis, L. hypnoides, Ernestiodendron fili- 

 ciforme, W alchianthus crassus, W. cylin- 

 draccus, XJllmannia f rum ent aria, and U. 

 Bronnii. There certainly exists a similarity 

 between Lebachia and Ernestiodendron 

 with Florinites. 



The following description of the genus 

 Florinites is based on three previously pub- 

 lished species and three new species here 

 described : Pollen grains appearing bilateral, 

 in part possibly derived from tetrahedral 

 tetrads. Grains are usually broadly ellip- 

 tical in outline owing to bladder; body 

 spherical, enclosed by the bladder except for 

 a portion of the distal side. The body is 

 often sharply folded. The known size 

 range, length including bladders, is from 50 

 to 210 microns. The body of the grain is 

 levigate, granulose, or faintly punctate. 

 The external bladder ornamentation is levi- 

 gate to granulose, but internally the bladder 

 is reticulate. The trilete mark may be 

 absent, faintly present, or distinct. The 

 spore coat of the body is generally less than 

 3 microns thick and the bladder usually less 

 than 2 microns in thickness. 



The following are new species of the 

 genus Florinites: 



1 . Florinites div e rsifo rm is 



2. F. si?nilis 



3. F. triletus 



Florinites diversiform is sp. nov. 

 Plate 12, figure 5 



Description. — Pollen grains are bilateral 

 with a vestigial tetrad mark. They are 

 elliptical in transverse plane, including 

 bladders. The body was originally spheri- 

 cal so that when compressed it forms folds 

 at right angles to the long axis of the grains. 

 The folds occur on the distal side at the 

 terminus of the bladder on the bodv. The 



holotype measures 94.5 X 134.4 microns, 

 and the known size range is from 91 to 98 

 microns in width, and from 126 to 139 mi- 

 crons in length. The body of the holotype 

 measures 75.6 microns in width, and 65 

 microns in length. A trace or vestigial 

 remnant of the tetrad mark is generally 

 discernible. The body of the grain is dark 

 yellow to light brown in color in contrast to 

 the pale yellow bladder. The body is 

 levigate, the external portion of the bladder 

 is levigate, but reticulate internally. The 

 internal bladder reticulations are small, 

 measuring 1 to 1.75 microns in diameter. 

 The bladder overlaps the body on the distal 

 surface in a crescent pattern on either side 

 of the spore body in the long axis from 13 

 to 15 microns at the maximum. The body 

 of the grain is 2 to 2.5 microns thick, and 

 the bladder is 1.5 to 2 microns thick. 



Holotype. — Maceration 618 Slide 2, 

 Reynoldsburg coal bed, Johnson County, 

 Illinois. 



Discussion. — F. diversiformis sp. nov. is 

 characterized by a vestigial tetrad mark, 

 the extension of the bladder of the grain 

 somewhat on the distal surface, and a 

 distinct body. 



Florinites similis sp. nov. 



Plate 12, figure 2 



Description. — Pollen grains are bilateral, 

 apparently alete, and elongate elliptical in 

 transverse plane including bladder. The 

 body was originally spherical but due to 

 compression the body is sharply folded. 

 The holotype overall dimensions are 92.4 

 X 132.7 microns, and the known size range 

 is from 88 to 97 microns in width and 124 

 to 142 microns in length. The body of the 

 holotype measures 63 X 75.6 microns. The 

 body of the grain is minutely granulose, 

 and the bladder is levigate externally, reticu- 

 late internally. The internal bladder re- 

 ticulations range in diameter from 1 to 3 

 microns. The spore coat of the body is 

 less than 2 microns in thickness, and the 

 bladder ranges in thickness from less than 

 1 micron to 2 microns where thickened by 

 reticulations. The bladder is sometimes 

 folded or torn. 



