1552 PHANEROGAMS. 



as Linum (flax) is of very doubtful value as evidence of the family 

 LinacecE. 



Order io. Terebinthin^e. — Of the families constituting this 

 order, several are very imperfectly known before the present epoch. 

 In the Rutacece (Rue-worts) the genus Xanthoxylon, which is now 

 mainly tropical, occurs in the Upper Eocene and Lower Miocene 

 of Europe, and also in the North American Tertiaries. Ptelea 

 appears at the same date, but persists to the close of the Miocene 

 period. With regard to Protamyris, from the Tertiary of Croatia, 

 which was described as being allied to the existing Amyris, there is 

 considerable doubt whether it really belongs to this family at all. 

 In the Simarubacece the Indian and Chinese genus Ailanthus was 

 formerly more widely spread, being found in Europe from the 

 Upper Eocene to the Upper Miocene. There is some doubt 

 whether the plants from the Middle Eocene of Monte Bolca, 

 referred to the genus Guajacites, are really representatives of the 

 American family Zygophyllacea. The large family of the Anacar- 

 diacecB, typically represented by the tropical Anacardium (Cashew- 

 tree), is known by a considerable number of fossil forms, although 

 there is some doubt as to whether several of these are rightly de- 

 termined. From the Upper Eocene of Provence a fruit has been 

 referred to this family under the name of Trilobium. Pistachia 

 (Pistachio), now distributed over the temperate zone of the northern 

 hemisphere, is known from the European Upper Eocene and Mio- 

 cene ; while the name Anacardites has been given to leaves occur- 

 ring from the Cretaceous to the Miocene. A large number of 

 species, dating from the Upper Cretaceous and continuing through 

 the Tertiaries of both Europe and America, have been referred to 

 Rhus (Sumach), but it is probable that some of these belong to 

 other plants. Of the other families, it will suffice to say that in 

 the Coriariacece the genus Coriaria occurs from the Lower Miocene 

 to the Pliocene of Europe.. 



Order ii. v^Esculin^e. — In this order the family Sapindacece, 

 with the exception of Koelreute?'ia, Staphylea, and s£sculus, is now 

 confined to the tropics, and includes trees of large size. Fruits 

 from the London Clay termed Cupanoides, and others from the 

 Miocene of Croatia described as Cupanites, are believed to have 

 belonged to sapindaceous trees allied to Cupania. Paullinia has 

 been recorded from the Middle Tertiaries of the Continent, while 

 Kxlreute7'ia occurs in the Upper Miocene. Fruits from the Ter- 

 tiary of Eubaea have been referred to Nephelium, while an imperfect 

 leaf from Borneo probably belongs to the same genus. Sapindus, 

 which in America does not range north of Texas, is abundantly re- 

 presented in the Upper Cretaceous and Tertiaries of both the Old 

 and New Worlds. yEsculus (Horse-chestnut) has been recorded 

 from the Laramie beds, but in Europe appears to be unknown 



