PRE-CARBONIFEROUS FLORAS. 483 



to Lepidodendron. When the plant to which they belong is 

 itself preserved, there is no difficulty in recognising the true 



Fig. 381. Sphenopteris laxus. Devonian. 



nature of the Sternbergice; but when the outer wood has been 

 denuded, it becomes almost impossible to determine to what 

 plant they may have belonged. The genus Cyperites comprises 

 elongated linear leaves, which appear truly to be the leaves 

 of Sigillarice. The genus Asterophyllites (fig. 382) comprises 

 elegant plants with ribbed and jointed stems. The joints of 

 the stems give off verticils of leaves, or branchlets bearing 

 whorls of leaves, which are narrow, elongated, and furnished 

 with a single midrib. This genus is not only found in the 

 Devonian Series, but is commonly represented in the Coal- 

 measures, to which the species here figured belongs. 



The genus Annularia comprises plants which are of doubt- 

 ful affinities, but which possessed slender stems bearing at in- 

 tervals whorls of leaves. The Annularice appear to have been 



