Scientia Sinica

No. 1 SZE: ON LEPIDODENDROPSIS HIRMERI LUTZ : 139

below, and the cushions thus form fairly marked longitudinal rows. No real leaf-scar is: visible.

Our knowledge of this important genus is derived from Lutz’s description of the type species Lepidodendropsis hirmert from the Lower Carboniferous of Geigen, near Hof, Bavaria. The diagnosis of the genus may be cited below®"!, ,

“Gattungsdiagnose: Lepidodendronahnliche Pflanzenreste mit langlichrechteckigen bis undeutlich-spindelformigen, schmalen Blattpolstern vom Typ des Sublepidodendron Nathorst, die aus grobem Haupt- und kleinem Nebenpolster bestehen. Blattnarben undeutlich, ohne Ligule und Parichnosmale. Anordnung der Polster in Schraubenwirteln. Mehr oder weniger ausgepragte Langslinien zwischen den Polstern. Meist pfriemliche Blatter.” Dr. Lutz believed at that time that there was only one species known in this genus, ie. Lepidodendropsis hirmert Lutz.*

It seems to me that the most important features of this genus are the indistinct leaf scars, the verticillate arrangement of the crowded and almost contiguous leaf cushions (see also Lutz 1933, p. 130,“ . . . . und noch mehr durch ihre fast wirtelige Anordnung...... ”) and the undivided narrow, linear and almost filiform leaves. In many recent publications, Prof. Jongmans'* 717) has placed in the genus Lepidodendropsis numerous known species from the Devonian to the Lower Carboniferous all over the world described by numerous previous authors as Protolepidodendron, Protolepidodendropsis, Sublepidodendron, Porodendron, Helenia, Heleniella, Utaria, Lepidodendron etc. It is outside the scope of the present account to deal at length with all these occurrences. It seems to me that Prof. Jongmans has included a very heterogeneous material in this genus as a result of his very strong subjective interpretations, and I firmly believe that many authors, including Lutz himself, will not agree with these determinations. I shall discuss here only the related Chinese specimens at some length. A great number of the species which Jongmans has transferred to Lepidodendropsis are characterized by the not crowded and almost spiral arrangement of the cushions. Some of the species even show a distinct apical bifurcation of leaves, e.g. the specimens described by Prof. Halle"! from the Middle Devonian of Yunnan Province. I am in complete accord with Prof. Halle!'*! that the verticillate arrangement of the leaves of the Yunnan specimens may perhaps be said to some extent to recall the Articulatales and that the features of the apical bifurcation of the leaves and the probable occurrence of two veins in the lower part of the lamina might be regarded as possibly indicating some slight relationship to the Sphenophyllales. From a botanical point of view, therefore, the species described by Halle as Protolepidodendron scharyanum

*Dr. Lutz said in his paper of 1933 (p.118); “Es ist nur eine einzige Art bekannt.”