.] PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 5
5CRIPTION OF TWO NEW SPECIES OF FOSSIL CONIFEROUSWOOD FROM IOWA AND MONTANA.BY F. H. KNOWLTON, ASS'T CURATOR, FOSSIL PLANTS.(With Plates n, in.)be material upon which the following observations are based was
t by the Rev. E. M. Glasgow, of Estherville, Iowa, to Mr.W. J. McGee,he IT. S. Geological Survey, and by him sent to the U. S. Nationalseum for examination. The specimens are eight in number and arej small fragments, the larger being but G'?' in length and 4cm iuneter.iefore passing to the description of the species it may be well to speaksfly of the arguments in favor of conferring generic and specificles upon woods of this character. It has been objected to on theand that the characters available for the satisfactory identificationgenera or species are so vague and imperfect that it is not worth while
'onfer names upon such material. As an example of this view mayiited Sir William Dawson's recent paper, "Note on Fossil Woods
; other Plant Remains, from the Cretaceous and Laramie Formationshe Western Territories of Canada,"* in which no specific names orcriptions are given, and the genera are compared to a few typical liv-genera.row, all students who have given their attention to the investigationhe internal structure of fossil plants are willing to admit that theirsailed genera and species are not as definitely circumscribed nor asirly characterized as they could be if living, but it does not seemt they are on this account any the less valuable as furnishing marksstratigraphic identification or data for the elucidation of problems ofelopmcnt. The objects of this study are twofold: First, 'to supply;o supplement a history of the evolution of the vegetable kingdom,
I, second, to give assistance to the stratigraphic geologist. And inler case, if the facts obtained are to be made use of, the specimensdied must be described and named, iu order that subsequent workersy be able to recognize and speak intelligibly of the results attained.!he further objection to naming or describing woods, that they arebably already named from other parts, such as leaves or fruits ofsame plant, is even less defensible than the first, for it is manifestly)ossible, except iu rare instances, to correlate all parts of a fossilnt. It would, of course, be desirable to know the complete life-historymy species, but until all the organs are found in actual contact it is
i safe to assume identity, and it is also seemingly undesirable toict one series of data to the exclusion of the other.
* Trans. Roy. Soc. Canada, Sec. iv, 1887, pp. 31-37.
NEW SPECIES KOSSIL CONIFEROUS WOODThe specimens in this collection have all proved to be coniferous atto belong to the genus Cupressinoxylon.* The first species I nilnamed, in honor of the collector:Cupressiiioxylon Glasgowi, n. sp. Plate n, figs. 1-5.Diagnosis.?Annual rings very sharply marked, 3 to 44""" broa>tracheitis in the summer wood provided on the radial walls with one]two series of very large bordered pits 5 medullary rays numerous, o Ito 30 superimposed cells in a single series, resin ducts moderat<numerous, of a chain of short cells.Locality, Emmet County, Iowa. Horizon probably Cretaceous.MICROSCOPIC ANALYSIS.Transverse section.?The annual rings as observed in this section avery apparent to the naked eve, the actual ring or line of separatabeing a brown band nearly a millimeter in width, while the whole widof a ring, as stated above, is often more than 4""". Under the mic:scope the cells are shown to be arranged in strict radial rows, and tband above mentioned is found to consist of a layer of from 18 tocells more or less completely liguified. In the outer layers of this 1nilied band of fall-wood the lumeu of the cells is reduced to a minimuThe lumen is in the form of an ellipse of which the long diameter is lethan .01mm and the short diameter about .005mm . Iu the immediatefollowing layer of spring-wood the cells are very large and thin-walk'measuring .08""" in long, and .05mm in short, diameter. In the sumnxwood the cells become smaller and more nearly hexagonal in outliiand pass abruptly into the baud of fall-wood.Radial section.?In this section, as in the transverse, the deinarktion between fall and spring wood is very clearly marked (PI. 11, fi$1, 4, 5.) The walls of the cells in the spring and summer wood are the onones provided with bordered pits, and in these they seem not to ha^been very abundant, or at least are not preserved in a maimer capabof demonstration. These pits are usually arranged in two paralrows, although in some cases there is but one row, when it occupies tlcenter of the cell. The pits are large, and when in two rows take ]nearly the entire width of the cell. The diameter of the outer circlein extreme cases fully .0250""", the average being about .0200"""; tldiameter of the inner circle is only .0025 to .0040nnu .The medullary rays are observed to be numerous, with the individu;cells very long. The individual cells are not, however, very high, Jthey are thin-walled. They have not been provided with border^pits, or at least none are preserved.The resin-ducts have been moderately numerous. They are composeof a chain of short thin walled cells from .15""" to .25""" in length an?Many authors write Cipressoxylon, but as I reS*rd~Cup>^mnew as the root fr|whicb the word is formed I prefer to write Cupresainoxylon.
Proceedings U. S. National Museum, Vol. XI, 1 888.?KnowHon?., .v ,6 Plate li.iu?2^:
O?
x^2-Oupressinoxylon Glasgowi. New species of fossil wood. (Pages 6, 8.)(Explanation of plate on page 8.)

888.1 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 7ire partially filled with a dark mass representing the resin. (PI. n,ig. 4.)Tangential section.?In this section the medullary rays are observedo be composed of a single series of cells which ranges from 3 to 30 inmmber. It is rare, however, to find them with as few as 3 or as manyls 30 cells, the average number being from 8 to 15.Bordered pits have not been observed in this section.This beautiful species is one of the most clearly marked of any thatlas been described. It is apparently related with several that have>een described from Russia, but it differs in important particulars fromill. Thus it resembles the Cupressinoxylon sequoianum Mercklin,* whichlas the wings only one-half to 2mm broad; sometimes three or foureries of bordered pits, and 1-40 or more superimposed cells in theaedullary rays. From Gupressinoxylon sylvestre Merckl.t it differs, ashe latter has one, rarely two, rows of pits on the radial walls of theracheids and the medullary rays, 2-15 cells high. Gupressinoxylonanguineum Merckl.f has the pits in one, or rarely in two, irregular series,ldcI the rays are composed of only 2-18 superimposed cells.The specimens are completely chalcedonized and stained a yellowish)rown color. As to their age Mr. W. J. McGee informs me ? that " theres every probability that the Emmet County, Iowa, wood is from theJretaceous, though it has been found in the drift, the Cretaceous strata?rom which it was originally derived having formerly extended over;ontiguous parts of Minnesota-and been largely removed by glacialerosion during the Quaternary." Specimens from Martin County, Minn.,ire indistinguishable from the Emmet County specimens.Gupressinoxylon elongatum, n. sp. Plate in, figs. 1-4.Diagnosis.?Annual rings apparent to the naked eye but faint, one-lalf to 6mm broad ; tracheitis thick-walled, provided with two, rarely one,
?ows of bordered pits on radial walls; medullary rays numerous, com-posed of short thin-walled cells, arranged in a single series of from 1o 44 superimposed cells j resin-ducts moderately abundant, composed)f a chain of short cells.Locality.?Tiger Buttes, Dawson County, Mont. Age, probably Lar-imie group. MICROSCOPIC ANALYSIS.Transverse section.?The layer of fall-wood separating the contiguousIngs is narrow, consisting of only six to ten rows of flattened and thick-called cells. The cells of the spring and summer wood are much largertud nearly rectangular in outline. Their radial diameter is as great as105mm in some cases, while the tangential diameter is only .035 to .04umi .
* Palaeodendrologikon Rossicuru, p. 05, PI. xvn.t Op. cit., p. 58, PI. xm, figs. 1-6.J Op. cit., p. 57, PI. xn.? In litt., January 4, 1888.
NEW SPECIES FOSSIL CONIFEROUS WOOD.The average size is of course much less, being about .07""" in loug, and
.03 to .O.-)""" in short, diameter. The medullary rays are observed to beaumerous. The largest cells are in contact with the medullary rays.Radial section.?The wood cells or tracheids appear broad and thick-walled in this section, and to be provided with two rows of very largepits which nearly touch in the center, and are in contact with the wallson the outside. The diameter of the onter circle is .020,nm , that of theinner .0040 to .0000""". They are rarely in a single row when they oc-cupy the center of the cell.The resin-ducts consist of a chain of short cells the contents of whichare not preserved.Medullary rays abundant; individual cells long, covering the widthof six or eight tracheids; thin-walled. They seem not to have beenprovided with pits or markings.Tangential section.?Medullary rays in a single series, and rarely, of1-41 superimposed cells. It is not common to find rays with less than5 cells or more than 30, the average being about 10 to 25. Xo pits onthe walls of the tracheids.The single specimen upon which this species is founded was collectedby Mr. Glasgow from ? a log 30 feet long in clayey soil."* It is theordinary silicified wood so common from this part of the country. Itsage is, without doubt, Laramie, as it is not far from Gleudive, fromwhich come typical Laramie plants.As in the case of the species first described, this species has affini-ties with forms already described from Russia and elsewhere, but thedifferences are such as to entitle it to specific distinction.
EXPLANATION OF PLATES.Plate It.Figs. 1-5. Cupreseinoxylon GUsgowi, n. sp. From Emmet County, Iowa.Fig. 1. Radial section, x 90. a, Dense fall- wood; h, large-celled spring-woodd .shows ready separation of spring and fall wood.Fio. -J. Transverse section, x 90. a, Spring-wood; b, fall-wood? e, summer-wood; d, single medullary ray.En;. :!. Tangential section, x 90.Ik;. 1. Radial section through resin-duct, a, Resin in duct.Fig. 5. Radial section, x 310. Single tracheid, showing arrangement of pits.Plate III.Figs. 1-4. Cupressinoxylonelongatum, n.sp. From Tiger Buttes, Dawson Connty, MontbIG. 1. Radial section, X 90. ?, Resin-duct.FlG. 2. Tangential section, x 90.Fig. 3. Radial section, x 310. showing the arrangement of pits.FIG. 4. Transverse section, x 90. a, Cells of spring-wood; b, cells of .snmmer-wood: c. cells of fall- wood ; c, medullary ray.
* In letter of McGee, September II. ls-7.