FOSSIL FLORA OF THE STAFFORDSHIRE COAL FIELDS. 139 



Sigillaria elegans (Sternberg, sp. ?) Brongt. 



1826. (?) Favularia elegans, Sternb., Essai flore monde prim., vol. i. fasc. iv. pp. xiv and 48, pi. lii. fig. 4. 



1828. Sigillaria elegans, Brongt., Prodrome, p. 65. 



1836. ,, „ Brongt., Hist. d. veget.foss., p. 438, pi. cxlvi. fig. 1, pi. civ., pi. clviii. fig. 1. 



1886. ,, ,, Zeiller, Flore foss. bassin houil. d. Valen., p. 582, pi. lxxxvii. figs. 1-4. 

 1911. ,, ,, Kidston, Mem. Musee roy. d'hist. nat. de Belgique, vol. iv. p. 185. 

 1836. Sigillaria hexagona, Brongt., ibid., pi. civ., pi. clviii. fig. 1. 



1836. Sigillaria minima, Brongt., ibid., p. 43?, pi. lviii. fig. 2. 



1887. Sigillaria elegantula, Weiss, Sigillarien d. preuss. Steink., I. Gruppe Favularien, p. 44, pi. xiii. 



figs. 74-78. 



Horizons and Localities. — 



Roof of New Mine Coal : Doulton's Clay Pit, Netherton ; Mount Pleasant, 



Brierley Hill. 

 Roof of Bottom Coal: No. 120 Pit, Coney gre Colliery, Tipton. 



Cf. Sigillaria nodosa Bowman, sp. 



PL XII. figs. 1, la. 



1836. Favularia nodosa, Bowman, in L. & H., Fossil Flora, vol. iii. p. 107, pi. cxcii. figs, a, b, c. 



Remarks. — It is probably impossible to ever ascertain the true nature of the plant 

 which formed the type of this species. Of the three figures given by Lindley and 

 Hutton on their plate, only that at a demands consideration, b and c being too 

 imperfectly preserved, and even here one cannot help suspecting that their figure a is 

 somewhat " restored." 



Among the specimens collected by Mr Hughes were some examples of a Sigillaria 

 which from their state of preservation may throw some light on the nature of this 

 interesting but not understood " species " — the Sigillaria nodosa Bowman. 



One of these specimens is shown natural size on PI. XII. fig. 1. The leaf scars are 

 much flattened, and it requires careful examination to make out their form. This, 

 however, can be done, and some of them are given enlarged at fig. la. 



The full description of this specimen is : — Stem ribbed, furrows slightly flexuous. 

 Leaf scars approximate, divided by transverse furrows and occupying about § of the 

 width of the rib, upper margin slightly emarginate, lower margin almost straight, 

 lateral margins convex, with feebly developed lateral angles placed about the centre of 

 the sides. Cicatricules three, situated about § above base of scar, the two lateral 

 punctiform, the central punctate or slightly elongated transversely. 



The specimen has a great similarity to the Sigillaria dolearis Weiss, # but Koehne, 

 when speaking of this type, says that from its state of preservation it cannot be 

 determined whether it belongs to Sigillaria elegantula Weiss ( = Sigillaria elegans 

 Brongt.) or to Sigillaria cumulata Weiss. Certainly our specimens are not the latter 

 plant, but I am inclined to think they may be some form of Sigillaria elegans 

 * Sigillarien d. preuss. Steink., I. Gruppe d. Favularien, p. 31, pi. iii. (ix.) fig. 37. 



