Geological Survey Bulletin 204 Fossil Flora of the John Day Basin, Oregon

Family CELASTRACEÆ.

CELASTEUS DIGNATUS n. sp.

Pl. XI, fig. 5.

Leaves membranaceous, elliptical, or slightly obovate-elliptical in shape, truncate, or very obtuse and somewhat unequal-sided at base, truncate at apex; margin coarsely toothed, the teeth obtuse, upward pointing; petiole short and thick; midrib thick; secondaries about 10 pairs, alternate, at a low angle, craspedodrome, passing to the marginal teeth; nervilles numerous, mainly unbroken, at right angles to the secondaries; finer nervation, producing numerous small, irregularly quadrangular meshes.

Several specimens represent this species, all being of about the same size. They are in general elliptical-obovate, very obtusely wedge-shaped or truncate at base and rounded at apex. They are 4 cm. in length and 3 to 3.5 cm. in width. The petiole, preserved in only one example, is 5 mm. long and 2 mm. thick at the point of attachment. The toothed margin and characteristic nervation are well shown in the figures.

This species seems to have some affinity with Celastrus inœqualis Knowlton a from the Fort Union beds in the Yellowstone National Park. This differs, however, in being a much larger leaf, toothed only above the lower third of the blade, the teeth being also more obtuse. The general appearance of the two species, however, is strikingly similar.

Locality.—Mascall beds, Van Horn's ranch, about 12 miles west of Mount Vernon, Grant County, Oregon. Collected by Knowlton and Merriam, July, 1901 (U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 8539).

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a Mon. U.S. Geol. Surv., Pl. XCVIII, fig. 3.

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CELASTRUS CONFLUENS, n. sp.

Pl. II, figs. 1—3.

Leaves membranaceous, elliptical in shape, wedge-shaped and slightly unequal-sided at base, obtuse but not truncate at apex; margin toothed, the teeth quite large, sharp pointed; midrib strong; secondaries, about twelve pairs, mainly alternate, at an angle of about 45° on one side of the blade and nearly a right angle on the other, camptodrome, arching very near the margin or forking and sending branches to the teeth; nervilles and finer nervation as in the last species.

This form is represented by several quite perfect leaves, which may possibly belong to the last species, but they are much larger and are unaccompanied by examples of intermediate size, so that it has seemed best to give them tentatively a new name. The best preserved example, which is also the largest, is 9 cm. long and 5 cm. wide. The smallest example was apparently about 8 cm. long and is a little over 4 cm. wide.

Locality.—Mascall beds, Van Horn's ranch, about 12 miles west of Mount Vernon, Grant County, Oregon. Collected by Merriam and Knowlton, July, 1901 (U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 8578).