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

Family SAPINDACEÆ.

SAPINDUS Merriami n. sp.

Pl. IX, fig. 5.

Coriaceous in texture, leaflets ovate in shape, obtusely wedge-shaped at base, obtuse at apex, alternate on the rachis; margin entire; midrib thin, straight; secondaries few, thin, alternate; finer nervation not preserved.

The single example figured is all that can with certainty be referred to this form. It consists of a portion of the upper part of a rachis with two leaflets, neither of which is the terminal one. The lateral ones are alternate and obtusely ovate in shape.

This species resembles certain of the smaller examples referred to S. obtusifolius Lesq., a and may possibly be this, but it is smaller and has a thinner secondary nervation.

Locality.—Bridge Creek, Oregon. Collected for the University of California. Type in Mus. Univ. Cal., No. 2506.

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a Tert. Fl., p. 266, Pl. XLIX, figs 8-11, 1878.

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SAPINDUS OBTUSIFOLIUS Lesq.

SAPINDUS OBTUSIFOLIUS Lesq., Tert. Fl., p. 266, Pl. XLIX, figs. 10, 11, 1878; Cret. and Tert. Fl., p. 235, Pl. XLVIII, figs. 5—7, 1883.

A single example that seems to belong to this somewhat variable species. It is more like the examples figured from the Green River group, having the narrow shape, thick midrib, and very short petiole of those.

Locality.—Van Horn's ranch, about 12 miles west of Mount Vernon, Grant County, Oregon. Collected by Merriam's expedition of 1900 (Mus. Univ. Cal., No. 892).

SAPINDUS ANGUSTIFOLIUS ? Lesq.

SAPINDUS ANGUSTIFOLIUS Lesq., Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., Vol. XI, p. 15, 1888.

The single example referred by Lesquereux to this species remains unique. I should incline to place it in Salix, yet, as it is obscurely preserved, I have permitted it to remain as above, but have questioned the correctness of the reference.

Locality.—Van Horn's ranch, about 12 miles west of Mount Vernon, Grant County, Oregon. Collected by Maj. Charles E. Bendire (U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 2598).

SAPINDUS OREGONIANUS n. sp.

Pl. XV, fig. 3.

Leaflet coriaceous in texture, elliptical or elliptical-obovate, very unequal-sided at base, apex destroyed; margin perfectly entire; petiole short, thick; midrib very thick; secondaries thin, about twelve pairs, emerging at a low angle, parallel, camptodrome, each arching and joining the one next above; nervilles very irregular, producing large areas between the secondaries, which are filled by the very fine ultimate nervation.

The only specimen referred to this species lacks the upper portion. It appears to have been about 5 cm. in length and nearly 3 cm. in width, with a petiole 4 mm. long. The nervation is well shown in the figure.

I at first inclined to refer this to Sapindus obtusifolius Lesq., a which has been found southeast of Green River station, Wyoming, in beds supposed to be "Washakie" in age, and also in the Fort Union beds of Montana and North Dakota. It has about the same size and shape, although perhaps rather elliptical than ovate. The principal difference is in the secondaries, these being more numerous at a lower angle of divergence and less curved upward. The disposition of the nervilles is much the same in both. However, these two species are close, and possibly a series of specimens would show them to be identical.

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. 8538).

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a Tert. Fl., P. 266, Pl. XLIX, figs. 8-11, 1878.

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