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

Family EQUISETACEÆ.

EQUISETUM OREGONENSE Newb.

EQUISETUM OREGONENSE Newb., Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., Vol. V, p. 503, 1883; Later Extinct Floras, p. 14, Pl. LXV, fig. 7, 1898.

Equisetum Hornii Lesq., Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., Vol. XI, p. 23, 1888.

After a careful examination of the forty or more specimens of Lesquereux's E. Hornii I am convinced that they are the same as Newberry's E. oregonense. They are better preserved than Newberry's material, many of them not being compressed in the least. Two or three flat specimens have a width of fully 3 cm., and the non-compressed examples range from 1.25 cm. to over 1.5 cm. in diameter. Several of the diaphragms are preserved without distortion. They are from 1.25 to 2 cm. in diameter and evidently several millimeters in thickness. The sheaths are short and provided with short, obtuse dentations. The teeth are nearly obsolete. The number of striations, as nearly as can be made out, is between forty and fifty.

Localities.—Currant Creek, Oregon. Collected by Rev. Thomas Condon (type of E. oregonense, which is in Mus. Columbia Univ., N. Y.). Cherry Creek, Crook County, Oregon. Collected by Maj. Charles E. Bendire (type of E. Hornii, U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 2464, 41 specimens); by Merriam's party in 1900 (Mus. Univ. Cal., Nos. 184, 185, 922), and by Knowlton and Merriam in 1901 (U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 9067). Also 3 miles above Clarnos Ferry. Collected by Merriam's expedition of 1900 (Mus. Univ. Cal., Nos. 184, 185, 910, 922).

EQUISETUM sp.

Pl. I, fig. 1.

The collection contains a small fragment that appears to represent a short portion of the stem and a single sheath of an Equisetum. The stem is about 0.5 cm in diameter, while the sheath is about 8 mm. long and 4 mm. broad at the upper extremity. It is not well enough preserved to show the full character of the sheath, but as nearly as can be made out it was provided with about 16 ribs and presumably an equal number of sharp teeth.

Locality.—Gulch 1 mile northeast of Belshaw's ranch, Grant County, Oregon. Collected by Knowlton and Merriam, July, 1901 (U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 8503).