56 



THE ARCHAEOPTERIS FLORA 



[en. 



mented, nodes curved, irregularly branched. There may be 1-2 

 branches on each node. Leaves shortly stalked, borne in whorls 

 of four at the node, dichotomously divided, margins finely 

 toothed, veins fan-like. Fructification a catkin-like body, up to 

 32 cm. long, with short internodes; sporophylls whorled,? forked 

 dichotomously, ? all fertile in the lower parts; sporangia con- 

 taining megaspores. 



Distribution. Upper Devonian, Bear Island. 



This very interesting type is a now well-acknowledged member 

 of the Sphenopsida. It is a very rare plant. 



AW 



Fig. 28. Archaeopteris hibcrmca, 

 (Forbes), from the Upj)er Old Red 

 of Kiltorkan, Ireland. (1) Complete 

 frond (greatly reduced). (2) Fertile 

 portion of a frond (much reduced). 

 (8) Sterile pinnules (reduced). After 

 Carruthers (1872). 



Palaeophyllales 1, 



Psygmophyllwn, Schimper, 

 1870 (Fig. 27, p. 55). Leaves 

 large, flabellate or cuneiform, 

 arranged spirally on an axis, 

 sheathing at the base, which 

 is fairly broad and not con- 

 tracted to a slender petiole. 

 Apex broad, rounded or trun- 

 cated, entire or lobed, or 

 slightly divided. Nerves flabel- 

 late. Fructification entirely 

 unknown. 



Distribution. ? Lower De^'o- 

 nian, Spitzbergen; ? Middle 

 Devoniaii, Western Norway; 

 Upper Devonian, Ellesmere- 

 land, Spitzbergen, Canada and 

 United States; Lower and 

 Upper Carboniferous. 



This is a ^'ery striking and 

 Avidely distributed genus in 

 Devonian rocks. A monograph 

 of it was published by the 



1 Arber (1912), p. 405. 



