XVIl] STIGMARIA 231 



Stigmaria ficoides Brongniarti. Figs. 204, 205, 207, 208. 



1809. Phytolithus verrucosus, Martin, Petrifact. Derb. Pis. xi-xiv. 

 1818. Phytolithus verrucosus, Steinhauer, Trans. Phil. Soc. America, 



[N.S.] Vol. I. p. 268, PL IV. 

 1820. Variolaria ficoides, Sternberg, Flora der Vorwelt, p. 22, 



PI. XII. 



1822. Stigmaria ficoides, Brongniart, Mem. Mus. d'hist. nat. Paris, 



PI. XII. fig. 7, p. 228. 

 1825. Ficoidites verrucosus, Artis, Antediluvian Phytology, PI, x. 

 1840. Stigmaria anabathra, Corda, Flor. der Vorwelt, PI. xiv. 



The first figure of Stigmaria is said to be by Petver in 1704; 

 Volkmann published illustrations of this common fossil in 1720 

 and Parkinson in 1804'^. Binney, whose researches may be 

 said to have inaugurated a new era in the investigation of fossil 

 plants, wrote in 1844 : " Probably no fossil plant has excited 

 more discussion among botanists than the Stigmaria. It is the 

 most common of the whole number of plants found in the Coal- 

 Measures, but there has hitherto been the greatest uncertainty 

 as to its real nature^." This uncertainty still exists, at least in 

 the minds of some who know enough of the available data to 

 realise that our knowledge is imperfect. 



To pass to the questions of the affinity and nature of 

 Stigmaria : Brongniart^ at first compared his genus with recent 

 Aroideae, but he afterwards' spoke of it as probably the root of 

 Sigillaria. Other writers regarded Stigmaria as a dicotyledonous 

 plant comparable with Cacti and succulent Euphorbias. For 

 many years opinion was divided as to whether Stigmaria 

 represents an independent and complete plant or the under- 

 ground system of Sigillaria. 



Artis', Lindley and Hutton', as well as Goldenberg', believed 

 it to be a prostrate plant unconnected with any erect aerial stem. 

 Goldenberg figured one of the slender rootlets terminating in 

 an oval body described as a reproductive organ. This seed-like 

 impression is either some extraneous body or an abnormal 



1 For a fuller synonymy, see Kidston (03) p. 757. 



2 Goldenberg (55) p. 6. ' Binney (44) p. 165. 



4 Brongniart (22) A. p. 228. ^ ibid. (49) A. p. 456. « Artis (25) A. PI. x. 

 7 Lindley and Button (31) A. PI. xxxi. » Goldenberg (55). 



