390 



Baron Ettingshausen. 



[Nov. 27, 



Sheppey Flora in the Fossil Floras of Bournemouth and Alum Bay in 

 the collections of the British Museum, and that of Mr. John Starkie 

 Gardner, indicating that in age these are not far removed. It is well 

 known that the Sheppey Flora preceded the other two. The genera 

 which, I feel sure, are common to Sheppey and Bournemouth are : 

 Sphaeria, Sequoia, Cyperites, Smilax, Sabal, Iriartea, Aronium, 

 Quercus, Juglans, Liquidambar, Proteoides, Laurus, Nyssa, Cinchoni- 

 dium, Apocynophyllum, Sapotacites, Diospyros, Magnolia, Acer, 

 Sapindus, Cupania, Eugenia, Eucalyptus, Metrosideros, Bauhinia. 



I believe that even some species of these genera are the same 

 in both Floras. It is surely probable that the fruits and seeds of 

 Sheppey were related to the leaves found at Bournemouth and Alum 

 Bay ; and it would be, therefore, undesirable always to propose separate 

 specific names for the related fossils found in these different localities. 



Among the plant-fossils of Bournemouth and Alum Bay I also 

 found many leaves wdiich I could not class with existing genera. 

 There is probability that these partially correspond with the extinct 

 fruit- and seed -genera of Sheppey. 



Before I enumerate the genera and species of the Fossil Flora of 

 Sheppey, I have to remark as follows : — 



Amongst the Sheppey fossils are now and then found fragments of 

 the basis of the leaf of a palm, probably of Sabal major. On such a 

 fragment I found the apothecia of a Sphasria. Of the Gymnospermae 

 of Sheppey there were found fruits and seeds of the Sequoia Bower- 

 bankii, also fragments of twigs. The seeds of the Cupressineae and 

 Abietineae had lost their wing-like expansions, wdrich shows that the 

 fruits and seeds of Sheppey were Carried some distance in water, con- 

 sequently their delicate membranous wings were injured and broken 

 oif by rubbing. There are therefore no perfect winged fruits and 

 seeds to be found. In fact, even the firmer w r ings of the Acer-fruit 

 have been entirely lost, and it is impossible to determine the species 

 of the Acer-nucules, which remain. 



The appearance of the Salisburia seeds is interesting. They are 

 very remarkable for their sharp, prominent edge. The easily- 

 determinable leaves of this genus have not as yet been found in the 

 Eocene Flora of Great Britain. 



The Agave is indicated by a valve of fruit ; Smilax, of which leaves 

 are not unfrequently found at Bournemouth, is indicated by a berry. 

 Of Musa, of which only leaves had as yet been found, there are 

 seeds. Of Amomum, two kinds of fruit have been found. These 

 have hitherto been mistaken for smaller fruits of the Nipadites. Of 

 particular interest are the many species of palms. The fruits and 

 seeds of some, for instance, Sabal major, Trinax Bowerbankii, Elasis 

 eocenica, Iriartea striata, Livistona eocenica, have been found. Of the 

 Sabal and Iriartea the leaves are found at Bournemouth. The Elasis 



