FOSSIL PLANTS. 



463 



^ SUMMARY. 



Only 120 species of fossil plants are named and described in 

 the above enumeration.* Is not this number very small, and 

 shall we not admit at once that the fossil flora of the coal fields 

 of Illinois is extremely poor ? Before coming to such a con- 

 clusion, and to arrive at a better understanding of the general 

 flora of our American coal fields, we had better, I think, com- 

 pare the distribution of the species of Illinois, in their differ- 

 ent genera, with those of Ohio and Pennsylvania, as far as 

 they were known when my catalogue of Fossil plants was 

 published in 1858. This is easily done in the following table: 



l, 



2, 



3. 



4. 



5. 



6. 



7, 



8. 



9. 

 10, 

 11. 

 12. 

 13, 

 14. 

 15, 

 16. 

 17 

 18, 

 10. 

 20 



Noeggerathiaf.... 



Cyclopteris 



Neuropteris 



Odontopteris , 



Dictyopteris J 



Sphenopteris , 



Hymenophyllites.. 



Alethopteris 



Oallipteris 



Pecopteris 



Crematopteris 



Scolopendrites .... 



Schizopteris , 



Carmophyllites 



Cordaites 



Sphenophyllum..., 



Annularia 



Asterophyllites.... 



Calamites 



Artisia 



*§ 3 



agl 







B^g 



S3 



5' <f 





?s2 



11 



Id 





3 



' 2, 





P- 7" 



8-5' 



6 











" 



6 















2 



2 



17 



4 



5 



16 



28 



4 



3 



4 



7 



7 















1 



1 



6 



1 



3 



23 



27 



5 



2 



4 



7 



8 



6 



2 



4 



13 



15 



1 















1 



15 



1 



6 



18 



25 















1 



1 















1 



1 















1 



1 















1 



1 



1 















1 



2 











7 



9 



2 











2 



4 



4 







1 



6 



9 



7 











7 



14 



1 







1 











4 

 1 



13 

 3 

 



18 

 7 

 8 

 1 



11 

 1 

 1 

 1 

 1 

 

 5 

 

 5 

 2 

 



* Since this examination was made (1860), the number of species of the Illinois 

 fossil flora has been increased by the discovery of more than 30, mostly new species, 

 to be published hereafter. 



f All the species of the genus Noeggerathia, as I have limited it, belong to the old 

 red sandstone. There is no trace of it in the western coal basin. ■ 



% Our only species of American Dictyopteris is abundant in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Ken- 

 tucky, and even in Arkansas, and should have been found already in Illinois. It is a 

 local species, always found in plenty, but in surfaces of small extent, and rather ap- 

 pearing in the low Coal Measures. 



