Dicranophyllum glabrum (Dawson) Stopes, an unusual element of lower Westphalian floras in Atlantic Canada

Abstract

Rare but well preserved repeatedly dichotomised leaves, apparently in a single plane, are identified with Dicranophyllum, an unusual gymnosperm attributed to a special order, the Dicranophyllales. The specimens recorded here from the “Fern Ledges” at Saint John, New Brunswick are from lower Westphalian (Langsettian) strata, which is a low horizon for this genus, which is best known from the Stephanian and Lower Permian. Comparison is made with various species described from the Carboniferous in Europe.