FERNS— SPHENOPTERIDE^—SPHENOPTEEIS. 47 



ing of the sporangia is suggestive of Cydotheca Kidston/ or possibly Myrio- 

 tlieca of Zeiller,^ though in this form also they are described as biseriate. On 

 the other hand, it is generally difficult, if not impossible, to trace the limb 

 of the pinnule beneath or beyond the sporangia, so that in most cases the 

 aspect of the pinnule is much like that of Hymenophyllites quadridactyUtes 

 (Gutb.) Goepp.,^ or still more the H. yermanica of Potonie,* to both of 

 which our species would also seem related by the characters of the sterile 

 pinna. Sphenopteris pmnatifida is, however, in its habit, form, size, and 

 details, so close to the 8. (HymenopliylUtes) quadridactyUtes (Gutb.) Goepp. as 

 figured by Zeiller" as to make it very strongly probable that the sporangia, 

 the appearance and mode of occin-rence of which appear to be the same, 

 are really annulate and are generated from the extremities of the lobes. 

 Still, I have not yet been able clearly to identify a ring in the sporangium. 

 These specimens should be studied more thoroughly in connection with 

 other material representing fertile ferns from the Paleozoic series. 



Localities. — Pitcher's coal bank, U. S. Nat. Mus., 5803, 5807, 5808; 

 very rare at Gilkerson's Ford. The specimen partially figured in the 

 Coal Flora from the same vicinity is No. 4304, Lacoe collection, U. S. 

 Nat. Mus. 



Sphenopteris van Ingeni n. sp. 

 PI. XIII. Pig. 3. 



ISSO. An Sphenopteris Dubuissonis Brougn., Lesquereux, Coal Flora, vol. i, p. 275 

 (excl. syn.); vol. iii (ISSi), p. SSO? 



Fronds tri- or poly- (?) pinnate, very tenuous and delicate; primar}- (f j 

 pinnae slightly flexuous, with a finely striate rachis consisting of a broad 

 axis bordered by tliickened, rather narrow laminae; pinnae of the next 

 order alternate, very open or even reflexed near the base, more oblique 

 above, close, touching or overlapping considerably, triangular, tapering 

 from the base to the acute or acuminate point, or long-linear, the sides 



' Annals and Mag. N. H., .July, 1888, p. 26, pi. 1, figs. 10-12. 



-Ann. Sci. Nat., (6) bot., vol. xvi, 1883, p. 186, pi. Ix, figs. 18-20; Fl. foss. liouill. Valenciennes, 

 p. 32, fig. 19. 



'Goeppert, Systenia, 1836, p. 251. See also Zelller, Fl. foss. houill. Valenciennes, p. 56, fig. 36. 



■■Uebei- eiuige Carbonfarne: Jahrb. K. Pr. geol. Landesaust. u. Bergakad., 1889 (1892), p. 23, pi. 

 Iv, figs. la-c. 



^Fl. foss. houill. Valenciennes, \>\. viii, figs. 1, la, 2, 2a, 3. Za,b, c. 



