134 ON THE FOSSIL FLORA OF THE COAL DEPOSITS OF AUSTRALIA, 



Sub-genus — Bergeria, Presl. Scars nearly flat, obovate, 

 rhombic or quadrate with a very small oval vascular cicatrix near 

 the upper angle. 



This genus belongs to the Paleozoic rocks, and various por- 

 tions of the same plant have been formed into Stigmaria 

 (roots), Lepidostrobus (cones or fruit spikes), Sigillaria (fluted 

 trunks of some species). Cyperites (foliage), Knorria (casts of 

 stems), Sternbergia (pith) and other genera. 



Lepidodendron (Bergeria) australe. M'Coy, Pal. of Vict, p. 37, 

 pi. ix). Stem about two inches in diameter, having rhombic scars, 

 with straight thick boundaries, about four inches long and three 

 and a half inches wide, with a very small oval, rounded, vascular 

 cicatrix, rarely near the middle, or more usually excentric towards 

 the upper angle, and often connected with the appearance of a 

 vertical shallow rounded sulcus ; branches one inch in diameter, 

 having similar scars three lines long, and two and a half lines wide, 

 upper and lower angles of the scars usually slightly more acute 

 than the lateral ones, very rarely the lateral ones more acute. 



" The species here figured is scarcely distinguishable from the 

 L. tetragonwn, Sternberg, of the European Carboniferous deposits 

 by any definable character, so that my inclination was to indicate 

 it as variety australe of that species, and I do not see any reason 

 for supposing it referable to the little Devonian L. nothum, Unger, 

 nor the probably identical L. gaspianum, Dawson, nor the L. 

 chemungense of Hall, from the Devonian sandstones of New York. 

 Hall's figure of the latter plant is not much less than the narrow 

 part of the right hand branch of our figure, but it shows the scars 

 nearly five times more numerous, and scarcely one-fifth of the size 

 and all the figures of the Devonian species mentioned indicate the 

 much smaller, more numerous, and much more acute, longitudinally 

 elongate leaf scars as constant characters, together with a central 

 vascular cicatrix." Common in the red and yellow micaceous 

 carboniferous sandstone of the Avon River, Gippsland. This 

 sandstone rests unconformably on the upturned edges of true 

 Devonian rocks with characteristic fossils. Professor M'Coy 



