7O NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 
and sporangia-bearing organs; all of which taken together with the 
character of the stumps and trunks have shown these trees, originally 
described by Dawson as tree ferns, under the name Psaronius, 
to be seed ferns (Pteridospermophytes) intermediate between the 
ferns and higher seed plants. The name Eospermatopteris 
is proposed for this Devonian seed fern which bears a resemblance 
to the Carboniferous seed fern, Lyginopteris. 
The bases of the stumps are bulbous as might be expected of 
trees growing under swampy conditions, and show a circumference 
at the base from 3 feet 10 inches up to 11 feet. The roots are small 
with numerous straplike rootlets. The outer cortex asin Ly gin- 
opteris consists of interlacing strands of sclerenchyma tissue, 
forming a network, or more or less parallel; the inner structure is 
not preserved. Consideration of the size of the stumps and study of 
the parts of the trunk found indicate that the largest of these trees 
must have reached heighths of at least 30 to 40 feet. 
The only specimen in which are preserved the petioles of the 
fronds attached to the trunks shows that these have a spiral arrange- 
ment in about five ranks. The fronds must have been at least 
6 feet long and were tripinnate with the pinnules bilobed and of the 
Sphenopteridium type, bearing a resemblance to the sterile 
pinnulesmietennedstom Cresplnialllosont chipiicmeTinna on DEUlMECm™ \aninonat 
from the Devonian of Bear Island. The seeds were borne in pairs 
at the end of forked branchlets and were probably borne near the 
Hj) Oe UNS weGaGl, AS iim tins Case OF ILASSCMOStOmaA, tne Seed 
of Lyginopteris, this seed is broadly oval and inclosed in an 
outer husk or cupule which in some specimens appears to be lobed 
ag ita IL, M@mdasen enc by Sumelaiien Sepairane mules were 
found. The sporangia-bearing organs, like the seeds, are borne at 
the tips of forking branchlets. They are broadly funnel shaped in 
young specimens to saucer-shaped in mature specimens, in habit 
qesembling ) thes) male. fructincatton ms Olen nya Onp uiehelis 
(Crossotheca). No sporangia were found, but the indications 
are that they were borne on the under side of these structures in 
clusters resembling the moplike clusters of sporangia seen in 
Cephalopteris mirabilis, which is believed to be a 
Pteridospermophyte. 
_ Two species of these trees were distinguished by Dawson: E. 
textilis, in which the sclerenchyma strands form a network, and 
EK. erianus in which these strands are more or less parallel. No 
further distinguishing characters have been found. 
