FOSSIL FLORA OF THE STAFFORDSHIRE COAL FIELDS. 147 



Stigmaria Brongniart. 

 Stigmaria ficoides Sternberg, sp. 



1820. Variolaria ficoides, Sternb., Essai flore monde prim., vol. i. fasc. i. pp. 23 and 26, pi. xii. figs. 1-3. 

 1822. Stigmaria ficoides, Brongt., Class d. veget. foss., pp. 28 and 89, pi. i. fig. 7. 

 1911. „ „ Kidston, Mem. Musee roy. d'hist. nat. de Belgique, p. 212. 



Note. — Generally distributed throughout the whole series. 



Stigmaria reticulata Gopp. 



1841. Stigmaria ficoides, var. reticulata, Gopp., Gatt. d. foss. Pflanzen, Lief. 1, 2, p. 30, pi. ix. fig. 11. 

 1886. ,, ,, ,, Zeiller, Flore foss. oassin houil. d. Valen., p. 613, pi. xci. fig. 5. 



1862. Stigmaria anabathra, var. reticulata, Goldenberg, Flora Sareepont. foss., Heft iii. p. 19, pi. xiii. 



fig. 15. 

 1836. Stigmaria ficoides, Gopp., Syst. fil. foss., p. 92, pi. xxxiii. fig. 7. 



Note. — This fossil has usually been treated as a variety of Stigmaria ficoides, and 

 as such it was described by Goppert, but its distinctive characters fully entitle it to 

 specific rank. 



Horizons and Localities. — Roof of Fireclay Coal: Russell's Hall, Dudley; Doulton's 

 Clay Pit, Netherton. 



Lepidocarpon Scott. 



1900. Lepidocarpon, Scott, Proc. Roy. Soc. London, vol. lxvii. p. 306. 



1901. „ Scott, Phil. Trans., B, vol. cxciv. p. 325. 



Before giving a description of the new Lepidocarpon from Coseley, it is necessary 

 to keep clearly before us the characters of this genus, and this can be best accomplished 

 by transcribing here the diagnosis given by Dr Scott in his paper on " The Seedlike 

 Fructification of Lepidocarpon, a genus of Lycopodiaceous Cones from the Carboniferous 

 Formation " : — # 



" Strobili, with the characters of Lepidostrobus, but each megasporangium 

 enclosed, when mature, in an integument growing up from the superior face of the 

 sporophyll-pedicel. 



" Integument, together with the lamina of the sporophyll, completely enveloping 

 the megasporangium, or nucellus, leaving only an elongated, slit-like micropyle above. 

 A single functional megaspore or embryo-sac developed in each megasporangium and 

 occupying almost the whole of its cavity. 



" Megaspore ultimately filled by the prothallus or endosperm. Sporophyll, together 

 with the integumented megasporangium and its contents, detached entire from the axis 

 of the strobilus, the whole forming a closed, seed-like, reproductive body. 



" Seed-like organ horizontally elongated, in the direction of the sporophyll-pedicel, 

 to which the micropylar crevice is parallel." 



* Phil. Trans., loc. cit., p.^325. 



