The specimens obtained by Reid and Groves, bequeathed to the British Museum by the latter in 1933, formed the basis of the present work, but Prof. Harris, in conjunction with Mr. P. Sylvester Bradley, has collected and prepared much additional material.

"The 35 species and 12 genera of presently known United States Mesozoic charophytes are described and illustrated. Seventeen species and one genus are new. Their common occurrence, worldwide distribution, and easy identification make them helpful in subdividing nonmarine strata."

The papers in this volume were presented at the Geobotany Conference held at Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio, on 21 February 1976. Though such diverse topics as anthropology and paleobotany are covered, all papers utilized the concept of geobotany as a unifying theme. Nearly a decade ago, the first in this series of geobotany conferences was organized on this campus by Dr. Jane Forsyth of the Department of Geology. After considerable growth, culminating in an International Geobotany Conference at the University of Tennessee in 1973, it was decided to again organize a regional geobotany meeting. The melange of papers in this volume are products of that meeting. Geobotany, by definition, is an interdiscip1inarian approach to interpretational problems involving such investigators as geologists and botanists, archaeologists and stratigraphers, ecologists and pa1yno1ogists. Interaction among these individuals is necessary for the satisfactory solution of a problem. Each can provide invaluable assistance to the other. The purpose of the meeting in Bowling Green was to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and information. Sponsors of the conference include the Department of Biological Sciences, the Department of Geology, the Environmental Studies Center, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Graduate School. All of the sponsors are academic or administrative units of Bowling Green State University and each played an important role in the success of the conference.