[MATTHEW] A REVIEW OF THE LITTLE RIVER GROUP 119 



the leaves are longer and looser than those of the young shoots which 

 have come under my observation. The leaves are in whorls of about 

 six in the young shoots. 



Terminal spike. — A structure which Sir William did not have, 

 but which apparently belongs to this species; it is an oval cone or spike 

 covered with closely applied short bracts, convex, outward; this may 

 be compared to the conical spike on the apex of the stem of Annularia 

 latifolia Dn. as figured in Acadian Geology, page 538. 



HahHat. — This plant, with its leaves, has been found in Bed No. 2 

 of Hartt's section in addition to Bed Xo. 1 ; the defoliated stem figured 

 by him is evidently trom the intermediate sandstones, where such 

 specimens are not infrequent ; it seems probable that the mascerated 

 stems are drifted portions of the plant; the leaf -bearing fragments are 

 from the Shale Bed No. 2. 



Horizon and Locality. — Sir William appears to have known this 

 plant from Hartt's Bed No. 1 ; it, however, is not confi.ned to tliat bed, 

 and, indeed, is more common in the beds above; it is not infrequent 

 in the sandstones that come between this bed and Bed No. 2 ; it thus 

 forms one of the connecting links between the first and second sub- 

 floras of tlie Little Biver group. 



Variety. 



While a soft, succulent stem is the usual condition of examples of 

 these nodose stems, occasional more slender stems are to be met with 

 in the sandy shale of Bed No. 1, which have a good support of vascular 

 tissue. The nodes in these appear to be of two kinds, one of which 

 seems to bear narrow rigid leaves, but the other is surrounded by a 

 ring of nodules or capsules; from the way in which they are crushed 

 in in the shale they would seem to have had a soft centre, or to have 

 been hollow. There are about six or eight of these capsules or spo- 

 rangia in the ring around the node. The barren node has a ring of 

 pointed bracts, not much longer than the sporangia of the fertile nodes. 

 The stem is considerably enlarged at the fertile nodes, and, except for 

 the enlarged nodes might be mistaken for the stems of the Annularias 

 among which it is embedded. 



This plant difPers from the genus Asterophyllites in the presence 

 of short bracts or capsules in place of long leaves. 



Horizon and Locality. — From Bed No. 1 of Hartf s section, scarce. 



