XIV] LYCOPODITES 77 



who gave the following definition of the genus : — " Branches 

 with leaves spirally disposed or in whorls. Sporangia in the 

 axil of foliage leaves or borne in terminal strobili." 



It was suggested by Lesquereux^ that Goldenberg's defini- 

 tion, which was intended to apply to herbaceous species, 

 should be extended so as to include forms with woody stems 

 but which do not in all respects agree with Lepidodendron. 

 Kidston^ subsequently adopted Lesquereux's modification of 

 Goldenberg's definition. We cannot draw any well-defined line 

 between impressions of herbaceous forms and those of small 

 arborescent species. We use the name Lycopodites for such 

 plants as appear to agree in habit with recent species of 

 Lycopodium and Selaginella and which, so far as we know, were 

 not heterosporous : it is highly probable that some of the 

 species so named had the power of producing secondary wood, 

 a power possessed by some recent Pteridophytes which never 

 attain the dimensions of arborescent plants. 



It has been shown by Halle ^, who has re-examined several 

 of Goldenberg's specimens which have been acquired by the 

 Stockholm Palaeobotanical Museum, that some of his species 

 of Lycopodites are heterosporous and therefore referable to 

 Zeiller's genus Selaginellites. 



In 1869 Renault described two species of supposed Palaeo- 

 zoic Lycopods as Lycopodium punctatum and L. Renaultii^, the 

 latter name having been suggested by Brongniart to whom 

 specimens were submitted. These species were afterwards 

 recognised by their author as wrongly named and were 

 transferred to the genus Heterangium^, a determination which 

 is probably correct ; it is at least certain that the use of the 

 name Lycopodium cannot be upheld. 



We have unfortunately to rely on specimens without 

 petrified tissues for our information in regard to the history of 

 Lycopodites and Selaginellites. Among the older fossils referred 

 to Lycopodites are specimens from Lower Carboniferous rocks 

 at Shap in Westmoreland which Kidston originally described 



1 Lesquereux (84) A. p. 777. ^ Kidston (86') p. 561. 



3 Halle (07). * Eenault (69) p. 178, Pis. xii— xiv. 



= Kenault (96) A. p. 249. 



