138 F. H. Knowlton — Fossil Dogwood Flower. 



Over twenty fossil species of Cornus have been 

 described from North America, all based on leaves. 

 These range in age from Middle Cretaceous to Pleisto- 

 cene. In the Old World over forty fossil species have 

 been named, two of which — both from the Miocene of 

 Switzerland — are founded on the involucral bracts. Of 

 these, Cornus bilchii Heer 1 has the bracts oblong in shape 

 but not conspicuously thickened at the tip, and C. apicu- 

 lata Heer, 2 with a long, slender evidently hardened point. 

 Both these species are based on small detached bracts, 

 and while C. speciosissima agrees closest in shape with C. 

 bilchii, they are distinct. Cornus apiculata is wholly 

 unlike C. speciosissima. 



The exact locality whence Cornus speciosissima came 

 is the west bank of Cole Creek, about 1 mile east of Big 

 Muddy, Converse County, Wyo. (Sec. 36, T. 33 N., R. 

 77 W.). Collected by John B. Eeeside, Jr., September 5, 

 1913. The types are preserved in the United States 

 National Museum, Nos. 36616, 36617. 



U. S. Geological Survey, 

 Washington, D. C. 



1 Flora fossilis helvetise, vol. 2, p. 27, pi. CV, figs. 6, 7, 1859. 



2 Idem, p. 28, pi. CV, figs. 10, 11. 



