320 



HISTORICAL PALEONTOLOGY. 



namon. The plant-remains of the Upper Molasse of Switzer- 

 land indicate an extraordinarily rank and luxuriant vegetation, 

 composed mainly of plants which now live in warm countries. 

 Among the commoner plants of this formation may be enumer- 

 ated many species of Maple (Acer), Plane-trees (Platanus 



Fig. 235. Platanus aceroides, an 

 Upper Miocene Plane-tree. , Leaf ; 

 b, The core of a bundle of fruits ; c, 

 A single fruit. 



Fig. 236. Cinnamo- 

 mum polymorphum. a, 

 Leaf ; 6, Flower. Upper 

 Miocene. 



fig. 235), Cinnamon-trees (fig. 236), and other members of the 

 Lauracece, many species of Proteacea (Banksia, Grevillea, &c.), 

 several species of Sarsaparilla (Smilax), Palms, Cypresses, &c. 



In Britain, the Lower Miocene strata of Bovey Tracy have 

 yielded remains of Ferns, Vines, Fig, Cinnamon, Proteaceaz, 

 &c., along with numerous Conifers. The most abundant of 

 these last is a gigantic pine the Sequoia Couttsia which is 

 very nearly allied to the huge Sequoia (W ellingtonia) gigantea 

 of California. A nearly-allied form (Sequoia Langsdorffi} has 

 been detected in the leaf-bed of Ardtun, in the Hebrides. 



In Greenland, as well as in other parts of the Arctic regions, 

 Miocene strata have been discovered which have yielded a 

 great number of plants, many of which are identical with 

 species found in the European Miocene. Amongst these 

 plants are found many trees, such as Conifers, Beeches, Oaks, 

 Maples, Plane-trees, Walnuts, Magnolias, &c., with numerous 

 shrubs, ferns, and other smaller plants. With regard to the 

 Miocene flora of the Arctic regions, Sir Charles Lyell remarks 

 that "more than thirty species of Coniferse have been found, 

 including several Sequoias (allied to the gigantic Wellingtonia 

 of California), with species of Thujopsis and Salisburia, now 



