sphenopteris

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A genus of fossil ferns, very widely distributed and very abundant, especially in the (Carboniferous) coal-measures, but ranging from the Devonian to the Middle Cretaceous. “These are elegant ferns, very numerous in species, and most difficult to discriminate” (Dawson). Almost nothing is known of the fructification of Sphenopteris, and the numerous specific distinctions which have been made are generally derived from the subdivisions of the fronds, and the shape and venation of the pinnules. Lesquereux divides the sphenopterids into three subdivisions: