ANATOMICALLY PRESERVED CONIFER-LIKE STEMS FROM THE UPPER CARBONIFEROUS OF ENGLAND

Gymnosperm stems preserved in volcaniclastic deposits, from the Upper Carboniferous (Westphalian C) of the West Midlands, England, U.K., pro vide anatomical characters of the wood, pith and primary xylem which a llow us to interpret them as conifers. They would represent the earlie st report of an anatomically preserved member of this group, complemen ting the previous assignment to conifers of fusainized leafy twigs fro m the Westphalian B of Yorkshire, U.K., mainly based on detail of leaf structure.