FLORA OF THE DEVONIAN. 



inch or more. This species abounds in the same locality with the. 

 preceding, and is often very perfectly preserved. It has BOOM 

 semblance to A. galioides, L. and J I., and to A.ferttUs, Sternberg ; but 

 it differs from the former in the number and form of the leaves, and 

 from the latter in the aeutcness of their points. The fruit or growing 

 extremity of the stem is represented at (B). 



Asterophyllites (?) sculigera, Dn. (Fig- 187, C.) Stems simple, 

 elongated, attaining a diameter of half an inch, obscurely striated ; 

 bearing on the nodes whorls of round or oval scales, or flattened nut- 

 lets, which at the ends of the stems are crowded into a sort of spike, 

 while on other parts of the stems the nodes arc sometimes an inch 

 apart. This is a plant of uncertain nature, which I place only eon- 

 jecturally in this genus. The stems, which are very long, may have 

 been horizontal or immersed, and the apparent scales may cither have 

 constituted a sort of sheath, as in A. coronata, linger, or may have 

 been seeds or nutlets flattened like the rest of the plant. Near some 

 of the specimens are fragments of linear leaves, which may have 

 belonged to this plant, though I have not found them attached. 

 When flattened obliquely, the stems appear as rows of circular marks, 

 which represent the harder tissue of the nodes, and have a very 

 singular appearance. This plant, though found with the preceding, 

 does not occur in the layers which contain the other plants ; and this 

 may possibly mark a difference of habitat. 



Asterophyllites longifolia, Brongniart. In the shales containing the 

 preceding species are some fragments of an Asterophyllites with slender 

 stems, internodes about an inch in length, and linear leaves two or 

 three inches in length, and about six to eight in a whorl. It may 

 belong to the species here named ; but the remains are not sufficiently 

 distinct to render this certain. 



Asterophyllites parvula, Dn. (Fig. 188, A). " Cariad. Nat.," 

 vol. vi. p. 168, figs. 6 a, b, c. Branchlets slender. Leaves five or 

 six in a whorl, subulate, curving upwards, half a line to a line long. 

 Internodes equal to the length of the leaves or less. Steins ribbed, 

 with scars of verticillatc branchlets at the nodes. This diminutive 

 species was originally found by Mr Matthew in the graphitic sliale, 

 associated with the Dadoxylon sandstone, at the southern part of the city 

 of St John. Small fragments of it have subsequently been obtained 

 from the shales of Carlton. 



Asterophyllites laxa, sp. nov. Stems very slender and flexuous. 

 Internodes about an inch long. Nodes with about ten long linear 

 one-nerved obtuse leaves an inch or more in length. This form was 

 included in A. lorigifolia in my former paper, but additional specimen! 



