Page:Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London, vol. 34.djvu/101

Rh we find only a couple of Equiseta, of which one species is Equisetum arcticum, which is found not uncommonly in King's Bay, at Spitzbergen (see my 'Flora foss. Arct.' ii. p. 31). It flourished probably, like its nearest ally Equisetum limosum, Linn., on the muddy shore of a sea or a river. In Grinnell Land as in Spitzbergen, the Coniferæ hold the first place. Ten species of these occur, belonging to four families—Taxineæ, Cupressineae, Taxodieæ, and Abietineæ. The Taxineæ are represented by the remarkable genus Torellia, of which the species Torellia rigida, Heer, must have been very abundant. This was previously known only from Cape Staratschin in Spitzbergen, where only a few fragments of leaves were found; now from Grinnell Land we have a great number of perfectly preserved leaves, which confirm the conclusions previously arrived at. It is, in fact, a conifer most nearly allied to the genera Phœnicopsis and Baiera of earlier periods. The leaves have the same form and texture as those of the Phœnicopsis of the Brown Jura (Oolitic); they are also traversed by numerous longitudinal nerves, and arranged in clusters. They differ, however, in having a channel enclosed by a rib. As the Phœnicopsis of the Jura forms a link with the Cordaites of the Carboniferous, so, on the other hand, it joins the Torellia of the Tertiary. This genus, however, is confined to the most northern portions of the globe. Amongst living Coniferæ Podocarpus (group Nageia), which genus was united by Parlatore with the Taxineæ, should stand next to Torellia.

The Cupressineæ are represented in Grinnell Land only by a Thuites (T. Ehrenswärdi, Heer?), fine twigs of which were found in King's Bay, Spitzbergen (lat. 79° N.), but has only reached us from Grinnell Land in the form of one small fragment which cannot be determined with perfect certainty. On the other hand, the leaf- covered twigs of Taxodium distichum miocænum, which is one of the most abundant plants of Grinnell Land, and appears in many varieties, are most beautifully preserved. Fortunately we have it in a state of bloom from this place as from Cape Staratschin, viz. the male flowers, which completely correspond with those of Spitzbergen. They show that this remarkable tree, now existing only in the south of the United States and in Mexico, lived and bloomed during the Miocene period almost as far north as 82°!

In Grinnell Land, as in Spitzbergen, the genus Pinus possesses the greatest number of species. These belong to 4 subgenera: 2 species belong to the Pines (Pinus in the strict sense of the word), 1 to the Spruce Firs, 1 to the Pitch-pine, and 1 to the Tsuga group. Of the Pines one species (Pinus Feildeniana, Heer), is represented by well- preserved seeds and by remains of needles which are very slender. This species is closely allied to Pinus strobus, L., and may be compared among fossil species to P. stenoptera, Heer, from Spitzbergen, and to P. thulensis, Steenstrup, from Iceland. Pinus polaris, Heer, is a second species, the needles of which are abundant. These needles are also known from Spitzbergen and Greenland. Excellently-preserved seeds of this species were discovered by Nordenskiöld in Spitzbergen.