Bulletin 3. The flora of the Raritan Formation, 1911 - State of New ...

CONIFERALES. .87
Twigs, evidently deciduous, thir_ and flat, spreading _n one
plane, with pinnately arranged, symmetrical, opposite branches
which are co'4ered with thin closely appressed _emlcircular cyclic
leaves, the outlines of which give to the fossil specimens that
peculiar geometrical pattern, which c,nce seev_ is thereafter unmistakable.
Professor Heer. placed it among the Cupressie,'e
because of its resemblance to Libocedtus, and while tlae fruit remains
unknown, even in the very abundant material from South
Carolina, there seems to be no, "_alid ground for questioning thi_
relationship. When only the outlines of the twigs are preserved
the f_ssils have a very fern-like appearance, which served to mislead
the original describers.
This exceedingly graceful and interesting conifer was originally
described as a fen1 from the Prussian Senonian, Abundant
and better material subsequently collected from Greenland
enabled Professor Heer to determine its true nature. It is abundant
in the upper Raritan at South Amboy, but does not occur
elsewhere in that formation.
Occurrence.--South P2mboy,
Collections._N. Y. Botanical Garden,
Genus WIDDRINGTONITES Endl.
(Synop. Conif., I8.17, p. 271.)
Wm_a_NC'roNrr_s Rf_*cI-IIt (Enings.) Heer.
Plate VIII, Figs. _, 2.
Frenelites Reiehg Ett., Kreidefl. v. Niedevsch, I2, pI. _, f. I0
a--c, 1867.
Widdrin_tonites Relch4i Heer, F1. Foss. Arct., Vol. 6, ab, 2:5I,
pl. 2g, f. 5, I882, Ibid., vol. 7: 13, pl. 5z, f. 4, 5, I883.
Smith, Geol. Coastal Plain in Ala,, 348, I894.
Newb., F1. Amboy Clays, 57, pl. 8, t'. z, 5, _896.
Berry, Bull. Torrey Club, VoL 33 : I69, t9o6; Ann. Rept.
State Geol. (N. J.) for I9o5; I38, I9o6.
Holtiek, gJ. S. Geol. Surv. Mon. 50:44, pl. 4, f. 68, I9o 7.
NEW JERSEY GEOLOGICAL SURVEY