Sphenophyllum as a brancJi of Asterophyllites. 153 



Sphenophyllum as a branch of Asterophyllites. By 

 A. C. Seward, M.A., F.G.S., St. John's Coll., 

 Cambridge. Communicated by W. C. Williamson, 

 LL.D., F.R.S. 



{Received January 2Tst, 18 go?) 



In the Verhandhingen der K. k. Geolog. Reichsanstali 

 (No. 15, p. 329), Herr Stur, of Vienna, published a short 

 notice in which he described a specimen shewing Spheno- 

 pJiyllum to be a branch of Asterophyllites. He maintained 

 that Sphenophyllum should not be regarded as a distinct 

 genus, but rather as the macrospore-bearing branch of 

 Asterophyllites, both genera being branches of true 

 Calamites. In the volume on the " Flora of the Schatzlarer 

 Schichten 1 " published in 1887, figures are given by Stur of 

 the specimens on which he based his conclusionsasto the rela- 

 tionship of the two genera Asterophyllites and Sphenophyllum. 

 A short time since, in looking through the Fossil plants 

 in the Munich University Museum, I was fortunate enough 

 to find a specimen which appears to afford strong additional 

 evidence in support of Stur's conclusions. On the question 

 of the connection between the two genera Asterophyllites 

 and Sphenophyllum with Calamites this specimen throws no 

 light. The genus SphenopJiyllum established by Brongniart, 

 in 1822, under the name SphenopJiyllites is defined by him 

 in the " Tableau des genres de vegetaux fossiles 2 " as 

 follows : — " Feuilles verticillees, cuneiformes, tronquees, en- 

 tieres ou dentees, emarginees ou profondement dichotomes, 

 quadrilobees a lobes plus ou moins profonds et greles." 



1 Die Carbon-Flora der Schatzlarer Schichten. Von D. Stur. Taf. xi. 

 and xv. Wien 1887. 



2 Tableau des genres de veg. fossiles. p 52. 



