392 THE WEST VIRGINIA FOSSIL FLORA 



paleobotany of the upper Paleozoic. The identifications, there- 

 fore, represent the diverse points of view and the interpretations 

 of men varying as to their special lines of scientific work, as to 

 their familiarity with fossil floras, and as to their periods of study. 

 The result is the introduction of some incompatible identifications 

 and some confusion in the lists. There are doubtless cases in 

 which the same species is listed under different names, while, in 

 others, plants differing as to species, or even as to genera, are 

 probably recorded under a single name. The results are the 

 records as present of species not present in a given formation and 

 the omission of others. The writer has attempted to eliminate the 

 greater number of the paleobotanical and stratigraphic errors thus 

 introduced. In numerous cases, however, for the sake of conser- 

 vatism this has not been attempted. Obviously the errors cannot 

 in all cases be eliminated without consultation of the original 

 specimens, which appears to be for the most part impossible. 



In the first list, which is systematic and approximately com- 

 plete, the name of the species is accompanied by the citation of 

 either the place of its original publication or the publication 

 in which the generic combination was first introduced. Other 

 references are to papers relating to the floras of West Virginia. 

 The lists given in Volume II of the State Reports are not cited 

 for the reason that these lists are quoted from a paper of earher 

 date by the writer (Bulletin of the Geological Society of America, 

 vol XI ) , which is cited. In passing mention should be made of the 

 list of fossil plants of the State printed in Professor Millspaugh's 

 "Preliminary Catalogue of the Flora of West Virgina" (see Bui, 

 24, W. Va. Agric. Exp. Sta., 1892, pp. 519-527). The fossil plant 

 list in this publication was contributed by America's great patron 

 of paleobotany, R. D. Lacoe, of Pittston, Pa. It is based in part 

 on identifications made by Lesquereux in his last and enfeelDled 

 years, and in part on studies made by Mr. Lacoe who was, him- 

 self, a high authority on the Paleozoic floras. Lack of com- 

 parison of the specimens studied by Fontaine and White is re- 

 sponsible for certain variations in identification. 



Full data descriptive of the formations of the Pennsylvanian 

 and Permian in West Virgina, the position of the coals and their 

 stratigraphic relations will be found in Volume II A of the State 

 Reports, to which the reader is referred for all geologic informa- 

 tion respecting the plant beds. 



SYSTEMATIC LIST OF SPECIES. 



Archaeopteris alleghanensis (Meek) Font. & I. C. White. 



Bull. PhiLSoc. Wash.. Washington, vol. i, Appendix VIII, 

 1874, p. xviii, pi. i, fig. 2 a. b. [Pocono sandstone.] 



