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To botanists and geologists alike coal and the beds associated with it afford a rich field for investigation. Geologists have long been particularly fascinated by the theories which attempt to account for the mode of origin of the coal, and as a result a vast literature has been built up in support of the various views of the authors who have dealt with the problem. Nevertheless, for our purpose, it is enough merely to name the two main theories which now hold the field, as the “growth in situ ” and the “drifted” origin for the plants which compose the coal. It will, perhaps, be well to express clearly at the beginning of this paper that we do not propose to enter into a critical discussion of the views of other writers on the subject, except where they have a very direct bearing on our own investigation. It will be found that the results of our work have a certain bearing on the wider subject of the origin of coal in general, but in this paper we wish to confine ourselves to the consideration of questions suggested by the “coal balls” in particular. The conclusions drawn from the special aspect of the case are not applicable to all seams of coal, though they illustrate fully the history of certain seams. The calcareous masses which occur actually embedded in the coal of some districts have proved of vital importance to students of botanical anatomy and phylogeny, because they contain plant tissues so perfectly petrified that the complete structure of the plants can be discovered by microscopic investigation. Yet although these calcareous masses or “coal balls” have been the source of so much valuable information, little is to be found in the literature, and one gathers also that but little is actually known to scientists about their mode of occurrence and the many interesting phenomena presented by their relation to the beds in which they are found. We have endeavoured to collect and preserve information about these structures, which are being daily destroyed, information which may prove of service to both botanists and geologists.

LEISMAN, GILBERT A. (Kansas State Teachers Coil., Emiporia.) Further observatioins on the structure of Selaginellites crassicinctus. Amer. Jour. Bot. 48(3): 224-229. Illus. 1961.-Specirnens of Selaginellites crassicinctus Hoskins and Abbott in coal balls from southeastern Kansas have yielded new information concerning the anatomy of this strobilus. The axis contains an exarch protostele apparently suspended in an air-cavity by endodermal trabeculae. Sporophylls are attached in alternating whorls of 4 each. The strobilus is compared with modern Selaginellh and a related compression fossil species. THE HERBACEOUS lycopod genus, Selaginellites, has always evoked considerable interest among paleobotanists because of the intriguing morphological similarities between it and the modern genus, Selaginella. Selaginellites was proposed by Zeiller (1906), on the basis of compression material, to include herbaceous lycopods exhibiting heterospory. Most specimens subsequently assigned to this genus (Halle, 1908; Lundblad, 1948; Chaloner, 1954, 1958) have also been of a compression nature. Comparisons of these species with Selaginella were hence, of necessity, restricted to external characteristics and the morphology of the spores. The first anatomical data to be added to our knowledge of this genus was provided by Hoskins and Abbott (1956) who described the species. Selaginellites crassicinctus, as preserved in a coal ball from the Flerniing coal, collected about 4 mi. southwest of West Mineral, Kansas. This specimen, which consisted wholly of a strobilus, or a portion thereof, was unfortunately not too well preserved. Details of the microspores and megaspores, of their sporangia and sporophylls, were evident and admirably described and illustrated, but little or no information could be obtained concerning the cone axis, the arrangement of the sporophylls on the axis (a spiral phyllotaxy was suggested), or the vegetative part of the plant to which this cone was attached. The strobilus was approximately 12 mm. long and 5 mm. wide, with ligulate sporophvlls attached to the axis nearly at right angles. Each sporophyll was supplied with a single vascular trace which extended almost to the tip. The sporangia were essentially spherical in shape, each being attached by a short, thick stalk to the abaxial side of the sporophyll. The megaspores, numbering 4 or 5 per megasporangium, were regarded as being conspecific with Triletes triangulatus Zerndt, while the microspores were conspecific with Cirr-atriradites annulatus Kosanke and Brokaw. I Received for publication July 25, 1960. Supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF G-6360). Specimens of this species recently found by the present author in coal balls fromr southeastern Kansas add considerably to our knowledge of the anatomy of Selaginellites and make possible some pertinent comparisons with Selaginella. Coal ball #51 contained isolated sporophylls with attached intact sporangia and a portion of a cone axis with attached sporophylls and empty sporangia. Most of the detailed information concerning the anatomy of the axis and the phyllotaxy of the sporophylls wvas obtained from this latter specimen. Coal ball #87 contained only detached sporophylls and sporangia. Coal balls #614, 658, and 761 con. tained intact cones or portions of' cones the general degree of preservation of which was only good enough, for the most part, to confirm partiallv observations obtained frorrm coal balls #51 and 87. Coal ball #51 was collected at the Kruger mine, I mi. north of Cherokee, Kansas. Coal ball #87 was collected at an old Pittsburg-Midway waste dump, 2 mi. northeast of Chero'-ee, Kansas. These two balls cannot be assigned with certainty to a particular coal seam but are undoubtedly from the Cherokee group, Desmoinesian series of the middle Pennsylvanian. Coal balls #614, 658, and 761 are from the Pittsburg-Midway mine, approxiimately 8 mi. southwest of West Mineral, Kansas. These can be assigned to the Fleming coal of the Cherokee group, the same stratum as that of the

HALL, JOHN W. (U. Minnesota, Minneapolis.) Anachoropteris involuta and its attachment to a Tubicaulis type of stem from the Pennsylvanian of Iowa. Amer. Jour. Bot. 48(8): 731-737. Illus. 1961.-Petioles referable to Anachoropteris involuta are described, attached to a stem which most nearly corresponds to a member of the genus Tubicaulis. These petioles are attached in a 2/5 phyllotaxy. At their points of departure petiole traces are massive and C-shaped but become involute in regions away from their attachment. Adventitious roots were borne on the stem in partial whorls. It is suggested that 4nachoropteris petioles were extremely long and that they bore adventitious stems at intervals. These, in turn, bore adventitious roots, perhaps to serve for uptake of minerals or support in regions removed from the true stem. Such a "petiole unit" may also have functioned as a vegetative propagule. This would account for the apparent rarity of true stems and the abundance of petioles in coal balls. ALTHOUGH one of the less conspicuous elements of the Paleozoic vegetation, the coenopterid ferns nevertheless occurred in great variety. Two incompletely or inadequately known form genera of this group are Tubicaulis and Anachoropteris. Tubicaulis is a generic name assigned to protostelic stems to which are attached baror C-shaped petiole traces in a 2/5 phyllotaxy; except for their bases, where attached to the axis, the leaves of Tubicaulis are unknown. On the other hand, Anachoropteris is a genus which includes petioles whose xylem traces are more or less involutelv coiled, with the bar portion of the trace presumably on the adaxial face of the petiole. These petioles are not infrequently encountered in coal balls, but there has been only 1 account of either fructifications or foliage laminae attached to supposed Anachoropteris petioles (Kubart, 1916). The axis to which petiales of the Anachoropteris type were attached is unknown, but there have been suogestions that Tubicaltlis or Tubicaulis-like stems did bear Anachoropteris petioles (cf. Delevoryas and Morgan, 1954). In no specimen of Tubicaulis thus far recorded have the petiole traces been involute, in typical Anachoropteris fashion. Delevoryas and Morgan (1954) have discovered petioles of A, clavata to which are attached small, terete, stem-like axes. But for other species of Anachoropteris, no principal axis has been discovered. Tubicaulis is represented by 6 species, 3 known from Europe, 3 from the United States; 2 growth habits are represented in this genus: an erect, perhaps somewhat shrubby habit, and the scan;dent habit. From this country, T. multiscalariformis Delevoryas and Morgan (1952) and T. stewartii I Received for publication March 6, 1961. Support for this publication was provided by grant G944 from the National Science Foundation. Appreciation is expressed to Chr. Westergaard, Danish Geological Survey, who made the photographs. Eggert (1959) are erect, and T. scandens Mamay (1952) is an epiphyte on a trunk of Psaronius. There are relatively few specimens of Tubicaulis known; 2 of the American species are based on single specimens. Anachoropteris is much commoner than Tubicaulis and many species are known. A. involuta Hoskins (1930) is particularly common in this country. The stem to be described here is essentially a Tubicaulis stem, but petioles of the Anachoropteris involuta type are attached to it. It is convenient in the following description to refer to the stem as Tubicaulis and to the petioles as A. involuta. The stem does not correspond to any of the species of Tubicaulis thus far described. This stem is from a coal ball collected at the Carbon Hill coal mine near Oskaloosa, Iowa, which is in the Des Moines Series of the Middle Pennsylvanian. The coal ball was relatively small and oblate, and the axis lay obliquely to its long axis. Since the coal ball was cut at right angles to its long axis the stem was originally cut somewhat obliquely; subsequent cuts partially corrected the obliquity. The ends of the stem, at the margins of the coal ball, were pyritized and not well preserved. In spite of its small size the coal ball contained numerous plant fragments, mostly leaves, cones and seeds of Cordaites. Delevoryas and Morgan (1952) suggested a semisubterranean habit for T. multiscalariformis, partly on the basis of lack of associated extraneous material. It would appear likely that the present stem was an aerial segment which was transported and deposited with the other associated aerial plant fragments; neither apex nor base was preserved. DESCRIPTION OF THE SPECIMEN-The stem was probably sub-elliptical in outline, but Fig. 1, 2, 10, 11 appear elliptical because of a slight obliquity to the sections and because the specimen has been

Interest in American coal-ball floras has increased perceptibly in the past few years, and some attempts have been made in this brief review to point out current lines of research and what may be expected during the next decade or two. Two other topics might have been considered, namely, a detailed comparison with the European fossils, and a stratigraphic compilation of the American floras. Such considerations would, I believe, be premature at present. We have many genera and a considerable number of species in common with those found in the European coal balls; it is also evident that there were certain elements in the American scene that did not occur on the other side of the Atlantic. Such a comparative picture is, however, only beginning to crystallize. The tendency to date has been to describe those fossils that are new, especially conspicuous and well preserved, and we are still a long way from the end of this “cream-skimming” stage. With continuation of such studies, which are now in progress in four or five laboratories, and the integration of botanical and geological interests, we should ultimately be able to work out a very interesting picture of the sequence of Upper Carboniferous floras and contribute notably to an understanding of the evolution of certain pteridophytic groups and the early seed plants.

1. American coal balls showing preserved plant structure have been sectioned. 2. From an Illinois coal ball from the Carbondale formation were obtained sections of a monocotyledonous stem, with collateral closed bundles scattered throughout the solid cross-section. 3. The vessels were of the spiral type exclusively, with transverse end walls. The phloem consisted of sieve tubes and what appeared to be companion cells. 4. Around the periphery of the stem, arranged in four or five irregular concentric rows, were groups of hexagonal, small, heavy-walled sclerenchyma cells. 5. This is the first angiosperm described from the Paleozoic, and the name Angiospermophyton americanum is proposed. 6. No attempt is made as yet to correlate this with any living group. 7. This announcement throws no light on the phylogenetic origin of the angiosperms, but does remove the problem from the Mesozoic to the Carboniferous or pre-Carboniferous.

1. Some young "un-integumented" specimens of Lepidocarpon from the Harrisburg, Illinois, coal ball collection are described. The geological horizon of the material is Upper Pennsylvanian. 2. The sporophylls consist of a radially extended stalk which at the proximal end is decurrent on the axis of the strobilus, and distally broadens into the leaf-like laminal portion. The lamina, extending at right angles to the stalk, covers the end of its sporangium and overlaps the sporophylls above. The sporophyll is traversed by a single vascular strand. 3. The sporangia, borne singly on the adaxial surface of the stalk of the sporophyll, are distinguished by the possession of a massive wall differentiated into two general layers, an outer protective layer and an inner nutritive layer. 4. Evidences were found of four megaspores in a sporangium, three of which aborted. The differential development displayed by the various specimens indicated an early selection of the chalazal megaspore as the functioning megaspore. Wi...

The petrified Paleozoic seed Hexapterospermum is discussed. A new species, H. delevoryii, is described from several seed specimens collected from Middle Pennsylvanian deposits in southern Illinois. The new species is radially symmetrical; approximately 2.5 cm long and 1.3 cm in diam at the widest region. Six primary ribs extend from the integument and give the seed the configuration of a hexagon when sectioned transversely. A thin plate of cells is present at the region of the commissure in each of the ribs. Additional features, not included in the original description of the genus, are described including the occurrence of a pollen-receiving mechanism consisting of a collar-like nucellar extension surrounding a central column. Relationships with other Paleozoic seeds are also discussed. THE GENUS Hexapterospermum was established by Brongniart (1874a, b) for structurally preserved Paleozoic seeds that are hexagonal in transverse section. Seeds of this genus are characterized by the extension of the integumenit into 6 commissured ribs; each rib extends from an angle on the hexagon. Since the original description of the genus, there have been no additional reports nor information regarding either the morphology or detailed structural features of the seed. It is the purpose of this paper to report the occurrence of Hexapterospermum in American coal ball material and to describe in greater detail the structural features of the genus. The description of a new species that follows is based on several specimens collected at the Sahara Coal Company Mine near Carrier Mills, Illinois (Sec. 30; T 9 S; R 4 E, Harrisburg Quadrangle). DESCRIPTION-General morphology-The seeds are ovoid with an acutely tapering apex and flattened base (Fig. 1, 15). In longitudinal section they measure approximately 2.5 cm long and 1.3 cm in diam at the widest part. At the broadest region between apex and chalaza the seed, are hexagonal in transverse section with ribs only slightly developed. Toward the apex the ribs become more pronounced; at the chalaza each of the ribs is extended into a keel-like structure that extends below the base of the seed (Fig. 1). Integument-The integument is constructed of three principal layers. The outer zone is preserved in varying degrees, partial degradation or exfoliation of the outermost cells being common. In specimens where this layer is adequately preserved the tissue is composed of loosely arranged, thin-walled cells that typically show a high degree 1 Received for publication April 5, 1965. This research was carried out during the tenure of a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship. 2Present address: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago Circle, Chicago, Illinois. of variability in both size and shape (Fig. 9, 14). Cells located toward the periphery of the integument are generally larger (125 A) and possess undulating margins (Fig. 9, 14), while those deeper in the seed coat tend to be smaller and more isodiametric (Fig. 9). None of the specimens showed any evidence of an outer limiting layer or epidermis. In one seed a continuous row of secretory canals was observed near the periphery of the integument (Fig. 9). It is quite probable that additional tissues or integumentary layers were present outside this row of canals in the living state of the seed. The middle layer of the integument is not sharply delimited because there is a gradual transition in cell diameter and wall thickness between it and the outer zone (Fig. 9). In several of the seeds this middle layer is present only as a dark homogeneous zone that forms the "shell" of the seed (Fig. 1, 8). The individual cells are often so tightly compacted that their organization is difficult to determine (Fig. 14). When adequately preserved, however, the individual cells of the layer are narrow in diameter, have thickened walls, and are vertically elongate. Within the integument the long axis of these fiber-like cells parallels the long axis of the seed. Six equally spaced primary ribs extend from the ilitegument at each angle on the hexagon. In transverse section these ribs are most conspicuous toward the apex where they radiate from the integument to give the seed the appearance of a six-armed star (Fig. 4, 5, 16). At the niidlevel the ribs are less pronounced and are represented only as the corners on the equal-valved hexagon (Fig. 6, 17). Basipetal serial sections of the chalaza show the ribs slightly more pronounced (Fig. 18) where they extend below the general configuration of the base to form small flaring keels (Fig. 1, 15). At the region of the commissure of each rib is a thin plate composed of 2-3 rows of thick-walled

MAMAY, SERGIUS H. (U. S. Geological Survey, Washington, D. C.) Litostroma, a new genus of problematical algae from the Pennsylvanian of Oklahoma. Amer. Jour. Bot. 46(4): 283-292. Illus. 1959.-Litostroma oklahomense, gen. et sp. nov. is described on the basis of fossil plant material found in a Pennsylvanian marine limestone from the vicinity of McAlester, Oklahoma. Litostroma is a simple plant consisting of a small, irregularly shaped thallus 1 cell thick. Some thalli have small perforations and filament-like marginal outgrowths. The reproductive organs are not known. A marine fauna is intimately associated with Litostroma, and includes epiphytic Foraminifera preserved in actual growth positions on surfaces of the plants. The evidence indicates a marine habitat for Litostroma and, accordingly, algal affinity. Without information bearing on its reproductive organs or pigmentation, however, Litostroma cannot with assurance be assigned to any known group of algae. It possibly represents a group of green, brown, or even red algae. AN INVESTIGATION of marine faunas associated with land plants in American coal balls led to examination of samples of a fossiliferous marine limestone associated with coal balls from Oklahoma. The limestone contained some curious thallose plant remains, the unusual structure and excellent preservation of which warrant detailed description and an attempt at interpretation. The material was collected in 1939 by C. B. Read, U. S. Geological Survey, at a slope mine owned by Joseph Lemont, near McAlester, Oklahoma. The productive seam, the Secor coal, lies in the Boggy shale of lower Des Moines age (Hendricks, 1937). Hendricks mentions no limestone above the Secor coal, but during my visit to the locality in 1955 Mr. Lemont informed me that the limestone overlay the coal directly, at the site of the coal ball occurrence. The limestone was likely of very local development. The exposure has since been filled and is no longer accessible. MATERIAL AND TECHNIQUES.-The plants were richly concentrated in an ovoid chunk of nodular limestone, 8 cm. in greatest dimension; they also occurred sparingly in a few other nodules in the collection. Since it was evident that the thalli contained in the several nodules were identical, only the contents of the richest specimen (U.S.G.S. 8764-9) were investigated in detail. Saw cuts of the nodule revealed a diverse assemblage of marine animal remains associated with the plant material. Most of the rock matrix is dark 1Received for publication September 18, 1958. Publication authorized by the Director, U.S. Geological Survey. I wish to express my appreciation to Dr. W. C. Steere, New York Botanical Garden, and to Dr. Rufus H. Thompson, University of Kansas, for their interest and advice in this investigation. Thanks are also due to Mr. L. G. Henbest, U.S. Geological Survey, for the photographs shown as fig. 29-31 and his paleozoological and paleoecological contribution to this paper, and to Mr. N. W. Shupe, U.S. Geological Survey, for the remainder of the photographic illustrations. brown, but there also are roughly cylindrical, intertwined areas of light gray color. The distinct color and sharp contacts of these light areas with the surrounding matrix suggest that they are filled animal burrows, made while the limestone was still a calcareous mud. A faint lamination of the dark part of the matrix is visible on smoothed surfaces, roughly parallel to the plane defined by the long axes of the nodule. This is due to a concentration of small, bedded plant thalli. In section, the plants appear as numerous chainlike groups of cells (fig. 3, 4), the chains lying parallel to each other. In places, groups of several are bent and contorted (fig. 1) but they are mostly flat and parallel, imparting the laminated appearance to the matrix. Etching the rock surface with weak formic acid showed the plants to be well preserved and undistorted by compaction; it also showed that they were not actually simple cellular chains 'but small, flat platelets a single cell thick. Sectional views showed no diagnostic features, so a chip of the rock was broken off and slowly dissolved in weak formic acid with the hope of isolating specimens whose surface features could be observed. The resultant sludge contained literally hundreds of fragmentary thalli. The process was repeated with additional samples. Tap water was then added to the sludge and decanted after settling of the organic matter; this was repeated until all acid had been removed, and all specimens except those selected for permanent mounts were placed in 30% ethyl alcohol for storage. Attempts to dry specimens were unsuccessful, as the cell walls collapsed with desiccation. This rendered the preparation of permanent mounts difficult, and the delicacy of the thalli necessitated caution in both chemical and mechanical treatment. The following technique produced excellent results. The aqueous residue was scanned in a dish under a binocular microscope. When a suitable specimen

MAMAY, SERGIUS H. (U. S. Geological Survey, Washington, D. C.) A new bowmanitean fructification from the Pennsylvania of Kansas. Amer. Jour. Bot. 46(7): 530-536. Illus. 1959.-A new sphenophyllaceous fructification, Bowmanites moorei sp. nov., is described on the basis of coal ball petrifactions from the Fleming coal in southeastern Kansas. One of the simplest species of Bowmanites, B. moorei has only 3 sporophylls in a whorl. Each sporophyll has 3 lobes, the median one fertile, the 2 lateral ones sterile. Each fertile lobe subtends 2 sporangia, resulting in 6 sporangia in a whorl. The sporangia are inverted, being distally attached to separate sporangiophores that arise in pairs, in axillary positions. The sporangial epidermis and epidermis of the lower surfaces of the sporangiophores are characterized by relatively large, thick-walled cells. The spores are small, spherical, and trilete, without distinctive ornamentation of the exine. B. moorei adds to the morphological variation known in Bowmanites, but contributes little toward a phylogenetic interpretation of this morphologically complex genus. THE PALEOZOIC genus Sphenophyllum, particularly abundant in Pennsylvanian floras, is characterized in part by strobilar fructifications of varying complexity, which are placed in the organ genus Bowmanites when found detached. Bowmanites was monographed in 1943 by Hoskins and Cross; as emended by them, the genus contained 18 species which, in spite of their considerable morphological diversity, have sufficiently important characters in common to constitute a single genus. The specimens discussed in this paper fall within Hoskins' and Cross' circumscription of Bowmanites but are distinct enough to warrant description as a new species. Interest in the new species, B. moorei, lies in its simple construction, which contrasts sharply with the complexity of previously described species such as B. fertilis (Scott) Hoskins and Cross or B. trisporangiatus Hoskins and Cross. SOURCE, AGE, AND PREPARATION OF MATERIAL.Two incomplete cones were found in coal balls of Des Moines age, from strip pits of the Pittsburg and Midway Coal Company in Cherokee County, Kansas. One specimen (U.S.N.M. 40934) was first exposed by a nearly transverse saw cut through a whorl of sporangia. Additional preparation showed this to be a terminal cone fragment about 1 cm. long; since it was the more complete of the 2 specimens it was designated the holotype. About half the length of the holotype was used in peel preparation of a series of transverse sections. The series was started at the base of the specimen and 1 Received for publication February 17, 1959. Publication authorized by the Director, U. S. Geological Survey. 2 U. S. Geological Survey, Washington 25, D. C. I wish to express appreciation to Mrs. Elinor Stromberg, U. S. Geological Survey, for preparation of fig. 17, and to Mr. N. W. Shupe, U. S. Geological Survey, for preparation of the photographic illustrations. stopped at the median plane of the second sporangial whorl above the basal one. This series clearly illustrates the basic plan of the nodal complex. The remainder of the specimen was used in preparation of longitudinal sections, which clarify such features as length of internodes and attitudes of the appendages. The holotype was partly fusinized, but generally the preservation was satisfactory and the parts sufficiently undistorted to permit a reasonably accurate reconstruction of the organization of a whorl (fig. 17). The paratype (U.S.N.M. 40935) was less complete than the holotype, but somewhat better preserved. It was also sectioned serially and has provided fine details such as cellular differentiation in the sporangial walls and sporangiophores. DESCRIPTION.-General.-Bowmanites moorei is a small cone of unknown length, with a greatest diameter of about 4.0 mm., consisting of directly superposed whorls of appendages. Each whorl consists of 3 units, or sporophylls, which are laterally coalescent to form a sporophyll disc. Each unit contains a median fertile lobe that subtends a pair of sporangia, and 2 lateral sterile lobes. The tips of the lobes are bent upward but are not long enough to overlap the next higher sporophyll disc. The 2 sporangia of each fertile lobe arise from axillary positions, each being borne on a separate sporangiophore and assuming a recurved or inverted attitude., The spores are small, spherical, trilete, and without distinctive ornamentation. The cone axis and its vascularization.-The axis is terete in cross section and averages about 1.0 mm. in diameter, except in the upper parts of the internodes, where appression with the sporangia imparts to the axis a hexagonal outline, about 0.75 mm. across (fig. 5). The axial epidermis has no distinctive features. The cortex is a broad, homogeneous tissue of small, vertically elongate, thinwalled parenchymatous cells.

In the coal ball described were portions of plants that have hitherto been known from the Carboniferous of America only as impressions; they are Calamites, Sphenophyllum, Bothrodendron, and Lyginopteris. Only transverse sections of the steles of Calamites, Sphenophyllum, and Lyginopteris were found. Belonging to Bothrodendron are transverse sections of a stem tip, a megasporangium and microsporangium both attached to sporophylls and containing spores, and isolated megaspores. In the microsporangium the spores are in the tetrad stage, while in the megasporangium four megaspores were observed. The most striking feature in the comparison of Bothrodendron and Selaginella is the similarity of the two, which indeed compels the conclusion that Bothrodendron is the progenitor of the living species of Selaginella.

BAXTER, R. W. (U. Kansas, Lawrence.) Calamocarpon insignis, a new genus of heterosporous, petrified calamitean cones from the American Carboniferous. Amer. Jour. Bot. 50(5): 469-476. Illus. 1963.-Calamocarpon insignis is described as a new genus of calamitean cone based on numerous fragments of microsporangiate and megasporangiate cones found in coal balls of middle Pennsylvanian age from the Cherokee Group of Kansas and the Des Moines Series of Iowa. The cones are similar to Calamostachys in general construction, having a hollow pith, prominent protoxylem canals, and alternating whorls of sterile bracts and sporangiophores. They differ in that the microsporangiate cones bear microsporangia each containing several hundred microspores which may occur as tetrads or single spores, while the megasporangiate cones bear large rectangular megasporangia each containing a single functional megaspore surrounded by sterile nutritive tissue. The microspores average 30-40A in diameter compared to a maximum measurement of 2.7 X 0.7 mm for the single rectangular megaspore. The female gametophyte was produced within the megaspore which was held within the megasporangium during the entire period of development. The megasporangia were deciduous so that the entire structure was shed as a unit. ONE of the constant problems inherent in working with fossil plants is the fragmentary nature of the material. This is nowhere more true than in the form of preservation known as coal balls where often the plant parts seem to have been churned up in a primeval surf prior to having been embedded in the coal ball sediments. Consequently, a basic task of paleobotanical research is that of attempting to correlate (by the fortunate chance 1 Received for publication October 7, 1962. This is a part of a general study of The Fossil Flora of Eastern Kansas carried on with the support of National Science Foundation grant (NSF-G17938). of finding physical connection) one isolated part with another so that the entire plant may be known. The present paper describes a case in which this correlation has been extremely difficult apparently due to the deciduous nature of the parts involved. Large, rectangular sporangia of unknown affinity were first observed in 1947 in coal balls from the Des Moines Series of Iowa. In the subsequent 15 years, up to a hundred or more of these isolated sporangia were observed during investigations of other organ genera from Iowa and Kansas coal ball material. These sporangia were a particular This content downloaded from 157.55.39.254 on Mon, 05 Sep 2016 03:59:52 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms

Pachytesta stewartii, a new species found in Middle Pennsylvanian coal ball deposits in southern Illinois, is 2.5 cm long and approximately 1.5 cm in width at its greatest diameter. Commissured ribs are pronounced near the apex and progressively less distinct toward the base. The integumentary system is delimited into 3 regions: outer sarcotesta, middle selerotesta, and thin endotesta. Conspicuous in the new species is a pronounced basal extension with an enclosed chamber that may be the result of decomposition of thin-walled parenchyma cells. Relationships with other species and possible significance of the chalazal chamber are discussed. FIRST described bv Brongniart (1874), emended by Hoskins anid Cross (1946b), and later by Stewart (1951), the genus Pachytesta as now delimited includes large, radially symmetrical seeds that possess a multiple-layered integument, stalked or sessile nucellus attached only at the base, vascularized nucellus and integument, and, in some species, distinct radially extending commissured ribs. The following description of a new species is based on sev%eral specimens discovered in coal ball material collected at the Sahara Coal Company mine near Carrier Mills, Illinois (Sec. 30; T 9 S, R 4 E, Harrisbuirg, Quadranigle). These deposits. according to the most recent classification of Pennsylvaniani rocks in Illinois, are Middle Pennsylvanian in age (Kosanke et al., 1960). DESCRIPTTo\T-CGeneral morpholoqy-The new seeds are relatively large, approximately 2.5 cm long and about 1.5 cm wide at the greatest diameter. Three commissured ribs are present near the apex of the seed, becoming less pronounced toward the base. Three parts of the integument are preciselv delimited by cellular orientation and structure. The most conspicuous feature of the new species is a large tapering base possessing a hollow chamber. Integqument-In the new seed, zones of the integument are similar to those founid in other members of the genus. There is an outer sarcotesta, a middle, apparently fibrous, 2-parted selerotesta, and a thini endotesta. Thickness of the integument -varies throughout the length of the seed; it is thick in apical and basal reg,ions and thinner toward the middle. 1 Received for publication July 18, 1963. The senior author wishes to express sincere appreciation for assistance awarded by the Committee on Grants-inAid of Research of Sigma Xi-RESA. Research was also financed, in part, by NSF Grant GB 420 to the junior author. In the usually poorly preserved sarcotesta are irregularly shaped, thin-walled cells (Fig. 9, 12) that often measure 70 X 140,u, although sizes up to 400, are not uncommon. In the petrified material these jigsaw-puzzle-shaped cells often contain an opaque material. A thin epidermis probably covered the seed at some stage during its ontogeny; however, the incomplete preservation of the sarcotesta makes it difficult to recognize. The variable thickness of this layer is apparently the result of changes that occurred during fossilization. A thin coalified laver is often situated between the sarcotesta and the selerotesta, evidently the result of partial decomposition and separation of these tissues. In places where it is organically attached to the seed body, the sarcotesta is approximately 1.5 mm thick. Large patches of this tissue in association support the assertion that it was much thicker prior to fossilization. A sclerotesta makes up the middle portion of the integument. The outer portion, about a quarter of the thickness, is composed of a monostromatic layer of cells that are elongated and oriented perpendicular to the long axis of the seed (Fig. 9-11). Each of these cells measures 35 X 145,, with a wall thickness of approximately 6,u. This portion of the selerotesta remains uniform in thickness throughout, and in orientation and histology appears similar to the outer sclerotic layer in the genus Stephanosperi-mun (Hall, 1954). The remaining portion of the selerotesta is characterized by similar elongated cells, but of larger size. These cells measure 50,u in diameter and approximatelv 400,u in length (Fig. 9-11). Furthermore, these cells are oriented in a planie parallel with the long axis of the seed (Fig. 9), except in the chalazal region where they take on a more tortuous course and are sectioned in various planes (Fig. 1, 4, 8). The substantial increase

A B S T R A C T A new structur ally preseived synangiate pollen organ is described from the upper Pennsylvanian (Mattoon Formation) of southeastern Illinois. The specimen of Halletheca reticulatus gen. et sp. nov. measures approximately 1.5 cm long by approximately 5.0 mm in diam, and consists of five elongate sporangial tubes equidistantly arranged around a solid central column, and embedded in a thin-walled ground tissue. The vascular system consists of five terete bundles characterized by scalariform tracheids. Sporangia are thick-walled and contain pollen of the Monoletes-type. Ultrastructural studies of the pollen grain wall show it to consist of a uniform network of muri which branch and re-unite to form small lumina. A comparison of the ultrastructure of the pollen grain wall of the new fructification is made with the wall organization found in similar pollen of Dolerotheca. Relationships between the new taxon and other presumed seed fern pollen organs differing in preservation mode are discussed. THE GENERIC NAAIES Dolerotheca (Halle, 1933), Schopfitheca (Delevoryas, 1964), Aulacotheca (Halle, 1933), Whittleseya (Newberry, 1853), Codonotheca (Sellards, 1903), and Rhetinotheca (Leisman and Peters, 1970) are used for Carboniferous fructifications found in NorthAmerican deposits that are tentatively regarded as representing medullosan pollen organs as based on their radial symmetry and large monolete pollen grains. Of these, only Dalerotheca and Rhetinotheca are known from structurally preserved specimens. It is the intent of the present paper to describe a new structurally preserved synangiate pollen organ of presumed medullosan origin discovered in a coal ball collected at the B3erryville site in southeastern Illinois. The age of the Berryville flora is regarded as upper Pennsylvanian (NIattoon Formation) or equivalent age because of the association of the coal balls with the Calhoun Coal (Kosanke, et al., 1960). The single specimen was initially exposed transversely on two coal ball slabs. Cellulose acetate peels of the distal end of the pollen organ were continued, while the more proximal portion was reoriented and peels prepared longitudinally. Pollen was extracted from sporangia with dilute (2 %c,) hydrochloric acid. Those grains examined by means of transmission electron microscopy were treated with potassium permanganate, dehydrated, and embedded in Araldite 502-Epon 812. Sections approximately 200 A thick were then cut with a diamond knife and stained with lead citrate. Grains examined with the scanning electron microscope were attached to standard specimen stubs with a thin layer of silver conductive

AMONG THE diversified plant remains revealed in Devonian and Carboniferous strata are those of the Coenopteridales, the supposed ancient precursors of modern ferns. These unique and often bizarre forms have been the subject of many reports of European botanists since the middle of the nineteenth century, and yet today there is no lack of interest in this curious group. Investigation of the Coenopterida!es in America is a comparatively recent development and new forms are continuously being brought to light. Much importance is assigned to this group by certain paleobotanists, many of whom see in these plants the source of some of the later ferns (Bower, 1926; Mamay and Andrews, 1950). Similarities in sporangial types, in organization of the stem, and relation of lateral members to the central axis have been proposed as evidence supporting such an assertion. These forms provide a branching system which-is considered to have preceded the more regular pinnate arrangement of typical fern fronds. On the contrary, this branching system possessed by the majority of the Coenopteridales may be interpreted as a highly specialized type of structure. Among the representatives of the Zygopteridaceae, Rhacophyton exhibits such a unique construction (Leclercq, 1951) . Because of the absence of a single basic structural plan among families of this order, it is entirely debatable as to whether or not this group is a natural one. If indeed the later ferns are to be derived from the coenopterids, we feel there is no evidence for such an origin in any of the known members of this group, and perhaps a more generalized ancestral form of both groups must Le considered. A coenopterid stem definitelv assignable to the genus Tubicaulis was recovered from the Fleming Coal of the Cherokee Group at West Mineral in southeastern Kansas. This locality is situated stratigraphically slightly, below the middle of the Des Moines Series (Abernathy, 1946). Tubicaulis multiscalariformis, sp. nov., is the designation assigned to this new species for reasons which will become more obvious. The stem measures approximately 6 cm. in length and although most of it was lost through a longitudinal cut of the coal ball, a sufficient length of it remained intact for cross-sectional study. GENERAL DESCRIPTION. A large number of lateral members or petioles radiate from a single central axis (fig. 1). The stem remains unbranched throughout its known leng,th and a radially sym

1. Structurally preserved seeds were found in coal ball material collected under the auspices of the Illinois State Geological Survey by Dr. A. C. Noe of the University of Chicago. The source of the coal balls was from southern Illinois and Indiana in coal no. 5, which is in the Allegheny group of the Upper Pennsylvanian. 2. The seeds described are Conostoma oblongum Will. of the order Lagenostomales, and Pachytesta gigantea Br. of the order Trigonocarpales. This is the first description of Pachytesta from American coal balls. 3. Illustrations of Lagenostoma ovoides from the British Coal Measures, and of Pachytesta gigantea, Conostoma oblongum, Cardiocarpon, and Trigonocarpon hookeri from the American Coal Measures, are used to demonstrate similarity in development of Paleozoic seeds with those of modern gymnosperms, and to show variation in ontogeny at the time of petrifaction.

A B S T R A C T Rhetinotheca tetrasolenata gen. et sp. n. is described from a Herrin #6 coal ball from Illinois. It consists of an ellipsoidal cluster of small synangia bearing spores of the Monoletes type. Although the synangia are partially connected to each other by sparse sterile tissue, evidence indicates that the synangia are immature, and it is presumed that they separated and spread apart at maturity. A small portion of a protostelic axis is present near the center of the cluster. Individual synangia consistently contain four sporangial tubes and measure 2.0-3.6 mm long by 0.7-1.2 mm in diam. A conspicuous central columella is present. When compared with compression forms, Rhetinotheca tetrasolenata compares most favorably with Aulacotheca iowensis. On this. basis, arguments are advanced disputing the classical concept of whittleseyan fructifications. It is contended that none of them possessed a hollow central cavity as depicted in most reconstructions.

EGGERT, DONALD A. (Yale U., New Haven, Conn.) Studies of Paleozoic ferns: Tubicaulis stewartii sp. nov. and evolutionary trends in the genus. Amer. Jour. Bot. 46(8): 594-602. Illus. 1959.-Tubicaulis stewartii, a new species of the order Coenopteridales is described. The specimen was derived from the Upper Pennsylvanian of Berryville, Illinois, and is characterized by having a lacunar middle cortex, a well-developed integumentary system bearing uniseriate hairs, and xylem parenchyma organized into vertically anastomosing strands. In addition, multiseriate (somewhat transitional to reticulate) bordered pitting is present in the petiolar metaxylem elements, while those of the stem stele are multiseriate scalariform. The habit is intermediate between that of a form such as Osmunda and a tree fern, having an upright tapering stem which gives off prominently decurrent petioles in a 2/5 divergence. A reinvestigation of the type specimen of the most closely allied species, T. multiscalariformis, of Upper-Middle Pennsylvanian age, has shown that it has similar features in the cortex, metaxylem, and integumentary layers. Tubicaulis multiscalariformis and T. stewartii form a distinct group in the 6 species now known, whose evolution has most likely involved the retention of a more primitive form of pitting (multiseriate scalariform) with parenchymatization of the xylem. The remaining species of the genus have not developed xylem parenchyma but have developed circular bordered pitting. The relationships of the genus to other genera in the Coenopteridales remain obscure. THE ORDER Coenopteridales is composed of Paleozoic fern-like plants not referable to modern families. These poorly understood plants make up a highly artificial group showing definitely fernlike features, but generally differing from extant ferns in frond symmetry, type of stele, petiole trace symmetry, and in sporangial morphology and position. Supposed relationships in the order are based almost entirely upon anatomical characteristics of stem and petiole parts, for in most instances neither the fructification nor the complete frond is known. Relatively small anatomical differences have been emphasized in the separation of the families and genera. This is in contrast to the classification of living ferns where sporangial morphology is the most important single taxonomic feature. The Coenopteridales possess many recognizably primitive features, such as protostelic vascular systems and sporangia borne on stems, as well as more advanced characters, such as medullated steles and synangiate fructifications. Classification of the group is largely a matter of convenience and expediency, in most instances, although there are some genera, such as Botryopteris, that appear to be roughly equivalent to genera as they are defined in living forms. One of the most recent taxonomic treatments is the admittedly artificial one of Morgan and Delevoryas (1954), in 'Received for publication February 20, 1959. The author wishes to thank Dr. T. Delevoryas, Dept. of Botany, Yale University, for his advice, constructive criticism, and encouragement during the course of the present investigation. His aid in preparing the photographs also is gratefully acknowledged. The species was named in honor of the collector of the type specimen, Dr. W. N. Stewart, Dept. of Botany, University of Illinois, who donated the specimen to our laboratory for study. which 4 families are delimited: the Stauropteridaceae, Botryopteridaceae, Zygopteridaceae, and the Anachoropteridaceae. The present paper deals with the genus Tubicaulis, placed in the family Anachoropteridaceae by the above authors. Discovery of the new species described in this paper has led to a reinvestigation of the type material of the allied species, T. multiscalariformis (Delevoryas and Morgan, 1952). Features have been found in that species which closely ally it to the newly described one, although the 2 are distinct. DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW SPECIMEN.-The specimen is Upper Pennsylvanian in age and was found in a coal ball from Lawrence County, near Berryville, Illinois. It consisted of 2 pieces of stem, each having attached petioles. One piece includes apical portions of the plant while the other includes more basal parts. The 2 pieces in all likelihood are from the same individual. A general scheme of the orientation, and relative size of the 2 specimens is shown in fig. 1. The preservation of the new specimen is the most nearly perfect yet reported for the genus, so that one can determine details of structure seemingly lost in previously described forms. General features.-The species apparently had an upright habit with elongate tapering stems and closely appressed, relatively large petioles. The habit may be considered as intermediate between the condition in Osmunda, in which closely spaced nodes are present, and that in tree ferns, where variously spaced leaves arise from an upright stem. Stem.-Because of the attached petiole bases, the stem has a lobed appearance (fig. 2) and is variable in diameter. Apically, the stem appears somewhat elliptical in outline when viewed in cross section (fig. 5), but sections made at lower levels are more

1. Fragments of a stem, leaves, and sporangiophores bearing sporangia containing spores, all hitherto undescribed species and all possessing Calamitean characters, were found in coal ball 236 of the Harrisburg, Illinois, collection. The geological age of the material is the Alleghany group of the Upper Pennsylvanian. 2. In its anatomical structure the stem is conformable with the genus Calamites, but varies in detail from any of the described species, and so the specific name multifolia has been assigned to it. 3. Many sections of Calamitean leaves were found, some of them remarkably well preserved. In general they resemble leaves of the Asterophyllites type of the British Coal Measures, yet differ from them in specific details to such an extent that they too have been assigned to a new species, multifolia. 4. The sporangiophores are all detached from any vegetative structure and are separated from one another, except in one instance where two of them were found so related as to suggest an original aggreg...

The recent discovery of a new petrified fructification from the Lewis Creek coal ball locality in eastern Kentucky adds to our knowledge of the structure and diversity of calamitean cones The incomplete specimen measures 4 8 cm long and 6 0 mm in diameter, and is composed of alternating bract and sporangiophore whorls Approximately 24 bracts are present in each whorl. Bracts arise at right angles to the axis and are fused into a shallow disk for 2 0 mm before arching distally and becoming free Six sporangiophores arise obliquely from slightly above each bract disk; each sporangiophore bears two large pendant sporangia that are attached along their distal and tangential surfaces. Sporangial walls are a single cell layer thick and are characterized by internal cell lumen partitions The distal ends of the sporangiophores are fused to form a continuous ring of tissue that surrounds the sporangia Features of the new cone are discussed in relation to those of other calamitean cones of similar age

A B S T R A C T A new species of the genus Rhabdoxylon Holden (1960), an anatomically simple plant of presumed fern or fern-like affinities, is described from a coal ball petrifaction found in the Upper Pennsylvanian of southern Illinois. The new species, R. americanum, is based upon five specimens consisting of stems bearing spirally arranged leaves and numerous randomly distributed adventitious roots. The haplostelic stems branch by equal dichotomies and bear foliar traces which arise as unequal dichotomies of the stele. Leaf traces possess a circular outline in cross section and one adaxial protoxylem strand. The characteristics of exclusively primary tissues, diarch adventitious roots, centrarch haplosteles with simple scalariform pitting, and the nature and arrangement of the leaf traces, suggest that Rhabdoxylon represents a fern or fern-like plant rather than a representative of the Rhyniophytina or Trimerophytina. At present it is not possible to determine whether the simple structure of Rhabdoxylon has come about through phyletic reduction or represents a primitively simple condition. THE PRESENT STUDY describes petrified axes from the Upper Pennsylvanian of Illinois which resemble European specimens of Rhabdoxylon dichotomumn Holden 1960. This is the first report of the genus Rhabdoxylon from North America. The material consists of portions of haplostelic stems which branch dichotomously and bear laterals, thought to be petiole bases and roots. The structure of the specimens is sufficiently distinct so as to require the establishment of a new species of Rhabdoxylon. GENUS Rhabdoxylon Holden, 1960 Rhabdoxylon americanum sp. n. Dennis

A coal ball from southeastern Kansas has yielded a specimen of Selaginellites crassicinctus Hoskins and Abbott attached to the stem Paurodendron fraiponti (Leclercq) Fry. New information concerning some of the various organs of this plant is offered. The entire plant is given the taxonomic designation Selaginella fraiponti (Leclercq) comb. nov. and is believed to be closely related to the extant taxon Selaginella selaginoides.

Chemical analyses of morphologically preserved organic matter in a Carboniferous coal ball reveal that the material is coalified to a rank approximately equal to that of the surrounding coal. Hence, the plant tissues in the coal ball were chemically altered by coalification processes and were not preserved as peat.

A simple method of treating cobalt-60 and iodine-131 production liquid waste can be disposed completely after alkalized by sodium hydroxide and then run through the soil wastes of coal ball column; while the iodine-131 production liquid waste can be disposed completely after reduced by sodium bisulfite, alkalized by sodium hydroxide and finally run through the soil wastes of coal ball column. The present method is better than the adsorption method through soils, for the liquid wastes can go through the soil wastes of coal ball more freely. The decontamination factor of this method is very high. Under the experimental conditions, one hundred grams of the soil wastes of coal can be used to dispose more than 15 liters of cobalt-60 liquid waste and 10 liters of iodine-131 production liquid waste respectively.

This new genus of fossil plants was first described and introduced to the scientific world so recently as the year 1878, by Professor W. C. Williamson, F.R.S., in his ninth memoir “On the Organization of the Fossil Plants of the Coal Measures.” Fragments of Astromyelon, however had been previously found and described as Calamitean, on account of their close resemblance to similar structures in Calamites, both by Mr. Binney and Professor Williamson. Since the publication of the above memoir, our knowledge of this interesting genus has been largely increased by the discovery of a large series of additional specimens by myself and other workers in this branch of science. I purpose in this paper to give a short sketch of what is known about Astromyelon and also of its nearest relations. The Astromyelons have been named and described solely from the microscopical examination of specimens obtained from the coal-balls found in the Halifax Hard Bed Coal, and in a similar coal in the neighbourhood of Oldham. Very little is known respecting the external appearance, but they appear to have been for the most part small herbaceous plants, like Asterophyllites and the smaller kinds of Calamites. I have recently found specimens of Astromyelon both as casts in sandstone and as impressions on shale. In the flagstone quarries at Ringby, near Halifax, I saw the impression of a longitudinal section of the stem of Astromyelon on the face of a flagstone, which shewed the structure almost as perfectly as a coal ball ...

A tetrahedral arrangement of one functional and three aborted megaspores has been found in the fossil seed fern ovule Conostoma anglo-germanicum. This is the first conclusive report of a Pennsylvanian age ovule with such a primitive megaspore arrangement, suggesting that this feature was more widespread and persistent among Paleozoic pteridosperms than previously assumed. THE pteridosperms or seed ferns included a diverse group of Paleozoic and Mesozoic gymnospermous plants which bore ovules and pollen organs on fern-like foliage. Although the pteridosperms became extinct during the Mesozoic Era they are generally considered to have played an important evolutionary role as ancestors to the cycads, cycadeoids, and possibly even the angiosperms (Takhtajan, 1969; Stebbins, 1974). During the Pennsylvanian the pteridosperms were represented by members of three families: the Lyginopteridaceae, Medullosaceae, and Callistophytaceae (Stidd and Hall, 1970). In the past ten years much has been deduced concerning the ontogeny and reproductive biology of members of the Callistophytaceae including ovule and megagametophyte development (Rothwell, 1971b), microsporogenesis and microgametophyte development (Hall and Stidd, 1971; Millay and Eggert, 1974), pollination mechanism (Stidd and Hall, 1970; Rothwell, 1977) and fertilization (Rothwell, 1972). In general, this evidence suggests that callistophytacean ovules and pollen were developmentally and functionally similar to those of extant gymnosperms such as cycads and Ginkgo. OBsERvATIoNs-There is now, however, evidence that at least some Pennsylvanian seed ferns had ovules which clearly differed from those of modern gymnosperms in regards to the basic megaspore configuration. This evidence comes from a petrified pteridosperm ovule found in a coal ball collected from strata of the Desmoinesian Series near Oskaloosa, Iowa. The ovule is assignable to Conostoma anglo-germanicum as characterized by Oliver and Salisbury 1 Received for publication 17 July 1978; revision accepted 21 February 1979. Dr. Joseph Wood, University of Missouri, is gratefully acknowledged for providing lab facilities to the junior author. (1911) and Rothwell (197 la) and was probably borne by a member of the Lyginopteridaceae (Arnold 1947; p. 219). A cellulose acetate peel preparation of a transverse section through the micropylar end of the petrified ovule (Fig. 1) shows the central column, circular pollen chamber, and the surrounding sclerotic layer of the integument with its four prominent ribs. Serial preparations made just beneath the pollen chamber show the presence of a group of three distorted spores (Fig. 2) which presumably represent aborted megaspores. Lying proximal to these spores is a single large megaspore bearing a triradiate mark (Fig. 3). The presence of such a trilete mark provides verification of the apparent tetrahedral arrangement of the megaspore tetrad. DISCUSSION-The occurrence of a tetrahedral arrangement of megaspores in gymnosperm ovules is considered to be a primitive feature that has previously been observed only in fossil ovules of Devonian and Mississippian age (Pettitt and Beck, 1967; Pettitt, 1969). Such a tetrahedral configuration is clearly different from the linear tetrad arrangement produced in modern seed plants. In most extant gymnosperms and angiosperms the four megaspores are arranged in a vertical row with the three spores closest to the micropyle aborting and breaking down (Foster and Gifford, 1974). The oldest documented occurrence of this linear type of tetrad is that in fossil ovules of cycadeoids from the Cretaceous Period (Crepet and Delevoryas, 1972). The discovery of the tetrahedral tetrad in Conostoma anglo-germanicum is significant in that it represents the first Pennsylvanian age ovule in which the tetrad arrangement has been conclusively demonstrated. Although Hoskins and Cross (1946) previously reported tetradedral arrangements of megaspores in the Pennsylvanian medullosan ovule Pachytesta vera, the evidence

An isolated sporangium with spores referable to the cone genus Spencerites is recorded from a [Pennsylvanian] Kansas coal ball. The spores are described in both sectional and surficial aspects and are provisionally assigned to Spencerisporites gracilis.

Elaterites triferens Wilson, 1943, is reported for the first time since its discovery. The occurrence of this elater-bearing spore at West Mineral, Kansas, as at the original locality near What Cheer, Iowa, is in a coal ball of Des Moinesian age in the Pennsylvanian System. Morphological evidence indicates that the spores have equisetalean affinity.

This is a preliminary report and outline of the forms to be included in a comprehensive study of various spores and pollen grains from Carboniferous fructi- fications. A large number of reproductive structures containing spores and pollen, representative of lycopods, articulates, various ferns and fern-like plants, and early seed plants including seed ferns, cordaites, and a possible representative of the Cycadales, are available from North American petrifactions and compressions. Nu- merous contributions have appeared elucidating the basic structural features of these fertile parts. In comparison, however, the pollen and spores which these reproduc- tive structures contain have received relatively little attention. The scanning electron microscope provides an ideal instrument that can be used to supplement the gross features as seen with the compound light microscope, and to determine the sub- light microscopic features of these grains. Furthermore, the scanning electron micro- scope provides important new information of several types. A large number of Carboniferous reproductive structures of diverse types containing spores and pollen grains, have been discovered and described since the onset of paleobotanical studies in North America. Due to extensive collection and mass cutting of coal ball petrifactions from various localities in the United States, a relatively complete representation of many genera of fructifications containing spores and pollen is now available for study utilizing the scanning electron microscope (SEM). In addition, numerous genera of fructifications, preserved primarily as compressions, are also available, so that the current study will include the vast majority of fructifications produced by Carboniferous age vascular plants from North America. Furthermore, the fructifications in- cluded within the present study represent almost all of the major groups of vascular plants that were in existence in Carboniferous time in North America and most other geographic regions of the northern hemisphere. Reproductive structures included within this study are presented in Table I. Dispersed spores and pollen grains found in Carboniferous rocks, especially coals, have received a great deal of attention both for paleontological and geological reasons, while the spores found in fructifications of known biological affinities have received little attention in comparison. This is primarily due to the rarity of such fructifications and the general absence of a biological orientation in much of the palynological literature. This paper represents a preliminary survey of the kinds of fructifications and the major types of informa- tion that may be obtained concerning their spores and pollen utilizing the principle of scanning electron optics. To emphasize the unique value and the nature of the information obtainable with the SEM, conventional light-photo- micrographs are included for comparison. The present study will emphasize

The material described here consists of a single small plant axis approximately 7.0 cm in length and 3.0 mm in diameter at one end to 5.5 mm at the other. The specimen was discovered in a coal ball of Middle Pelansylvanian age from the Mich Coal mine of Oskaloosa, Iowa. While the total length of the one specimen was only around a centimeter, it seems obvious it was a fragment of a larger plant as its disapperance in the final serial peel sections at each end was due to a gradual decrease in preservation rather than alnatural termination of the structure. At its small end a transverse section of the axis shows an oval outline with dimensions of 3.0 X 2.2 mm. The stele is 1.7 X 1.2 mm with a small central pith 0.25 mm in diameter (Fig. 1, 10). The outermost tissue consists of an irregularly lobed cortex of homogen.eous collenchyma, Elled with a dark-brown opaque substance. This encloses the primary xylem of the exarch stele with several inconspicuous peripheral points of small protoxylem cells in some sections. Secondary wall thickening is annular in the protoxylem and forms scalariform to reticulate-bordered pitting patterlns in the metaxylem (Fig. 9). The pith (where present) consists of a tissue identical to the cortex. No tissues identiSable as epidermis or phloem were recognized in any of the sections observed. Serial peiel sections (in what is assumed to be an upwards direction) show that, in a space of 1.0 mm from the small end of the axis, the pith enlarges from 0.25 mm to 1.0 X 0.5 mm produci,ng a conspicuous siphonostele with the radial thickness of the xylem being reduced to 0.25 mm (Fig. 2, 11). Within the next 1.5 mm the asis increased to a maximum width of 5.5 mm while the xyIem cylinder splits into a verticil of 9 strands each of which is first protostelic and then siphonostelic through the development of a central medulla. At the same time, the axis as a whole, develops a hollow center with the disappearance of the central pith tissue (Fig. 3, 4, 12). At a slightly higher level the hollow axis becomes a verticil of free branches by a double constriction of the cortex and pith tissue surrounding each stele (Fig. 5, 13). Each branch then proceeds to become polystelic by dichotomous stelar divisions, ultimately producing

An unknown vascularized axis from a Middle-Pennsylvanian coal ball collected in southeast Kansas is described and illustrated. It consists of a single specimen 4 mm in diameter and 3 cm long with an exarch polyarch actinostele of 16 protoxylem points lacking pith and secondary growth. The outer cortex shows an estimated 16 alternating ridges and furrows. While the stele is superficially similar to a Psaronius root and ie lycopod stem, Pagrodendron, it is excluded from boi by its multiseriate bordered pitting. Its closest affinities seem to be with the Calamitales or Sphellophyllales although it can not be assigned to any known genus. In view of the paucity of the material and lack of evidence as to its stem vs root identity it is described without formal taxonomic assignment.

Carboniferous petrifactions known as "coal balls" have long been known from Europe, and much of our knowledge of Carboniferous plants has been derived from a study of these petrifactions. Coal balls have been collected in America, however, but for a comparatively short time. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to our knowledge of this coal ball flora by adding certain new members to the growing list of American Carboniferous plants with structure preserved, with brief anatomical descriptions of the species listed. The plants included in this paper are described from sections of coal balls collected from various localities in Illinois, either by the writer, or by Dr. A. C. Noe, under the authority of the Illinois Geological Survey. All were found in the McLeansboro formation, the approximate time equivalent of the Conemaugh of Pennsylvania.

THE method described in this letter was devised in collaboration with Dr. R. G. Koopmans of Utrecht. A flat surface must first of all be cut or ground on the coal ball or other petrified mass parallel to the planes in which the sections are required: this surface is ground smooth, but a fine polish is not necessary. The surface is then immersed for a definite length of time in an etching solution of hydrochloric acid, the optimum concentration being found by trial. The acid dissolves away a film of the carbonate of which the mass is largely composed, and the plant substance contained in the film is left behind, standing in relief above the surface. The surface is washed carefully and dried. A solution or fluid, which on drying or hardening forms a tough film, is then poured over the surface and allowed to dry or harden. Several solutions have been used for this purpose; the best as regards consistency is the trade preparation ‘Durofix,’ but other solutions containing cellulose compounds may be used. When quite hard this film of cellulose-compound may be peeled off, as it has considerable tensile strength. The plant substance which was left in relief by the etching process is embedded in the film and is detached with it from the surface of the petrifaction. The film is then washed, first in the acid and then in water, dried, cleared, and finally mounted in Canada balsam between a slide and coverslip. The surface of the petrified mass is gently rubbed down on fine carborundum paper and is then ready for the removal of another section.

The present description concerns a lepidophyte sporophyll and sporangium discovered in coal ball M22 of the University of Kansas collection of fossil plants. The fossil material was collected by the author at the Pittsburg-Midway Coal Mine about 8 miles southwest of West Mineral, Kansas. The coal mined at the locality is assigned to the Fleming and Mineral seams. The Fleming seam lies about 12 feet above the Mineral and contains the majority of the coal balls although occasional pockets are known to occur in the Mineral coal as well. Stratigraphically both these seams are of approximately lower middle Pennsylvanian age.

Well preserved phloem in Pennsylvania coal balls is not common. Among the pteridosperms, this tissue has been described mainly from European specimens of Lyginopteris, Medullosa, and certain species of Heterangium. In the latter genus the phloem has been described in some specimens of H. tiia'oides; it is less well known in other species (Williamson & Scott, 1896; Renault, 1896; Scott, 1917). As yet, no American sp:ecimens of Heterangium with phloem structure have been recorded. Based on one well preserved stem of H. americanum a contribution can now be made concerning thi phloem structure of this American species. The coal ball containing this stem is from a creek bed near St. Wendells, Posey County, Indiana, wlhich is probably in the upper part of the McLeansboro formation and of Upper Pennsylvanian age; if so it corresponds in stratigraphic position with other specimens of H. americanum described by Andrews (1942). The preserved portion of the stem is an internodal segment measuring c,pproxirnately 4 cm. in length and 6.5 mm. in diameter; the diameter of the stele, including the secondary tissues, is 4.5 to 5 mm., the difference in width being due to the slightly eccentric production of the secondary tissues. Fig. 1 iE a typical cross s,ection of the stem. The very large metaxylem tracheids of the protostele average 265y in diameter and are embedded in stelar parenchyma; the proboxylem, with its much smaller spiral and annular tracheids, is eccentrically mesarch (fig. 3). The secondary xylem, composed of circular bordered pitted tracheids, abuts on the periphery of the metaxylem. Between thie secondary xylem and secolndary phloem is a canibial zone of thin walled cells which are somewhat crushed except in certain regions of the stem. The segment of secondary xylem on the left in fig. 3 shows a few secondary tracheids next to the cambial zone whose radial walls have 'broken down; these may have been newly formed tracheids whos,e secondary walls had not been completely lignified before preservation. Multiseriate rays divide the secondary vascular tissues into discrete patches; in the phloem these rays flare out at their distal ends as in H. tiliaeoides, which H. americanum resembles. A pair of leaf traces approximately 1 mm. apart, each already once divided, can be observed leaving the central cylinder. They move out very gradually, and do not depart from the main axis in the entire length of stem observed. Poorly preserved traces of lower leaves were observed outside the stem, but their course could not be followed, nor were the petioles of any of the lower leaves found associated with this stem. A zone of thin walled cells, comparable to the pericycle of H. tiliaeoides, is located to thLe outside of the phloem; its cells are somewhat crushed. Although not well preserved, this tissue appears to have no trace of the sclerotic