Lescuropteris genuina		The Stephanian has yielded rich and varied compression floras including many species of pteridosperms and cordaites. The pteridosperms or seed ferns constitute a once very successful and widespread, but now completely extinct group of seed plants with fern-like foliage. The classification of compression fossils is based on purely morphological characters, such as leaf shape and venation patterns. Unfortunately the same is true for the cordaites, another common and widespread group of fossil gymnosperms with strap-shaped leaves. Ongoing research should lead towards a better understanding of natural relationships and ecology and concentrates on 290-300 million years old material from the Massif Central, France. From this fossil material up to 7 cm long pieces of cuticle were obtained in which every cell is still dicernable.
Alethopteris zeilleri		Apart from important information on the classification of these fossil leaf remains, our current studies have also yielded important data on leaf development, growth habits and ecology. For several species a scrambling or climbing growth habit could be demonstrated on the basis of cuticular material. Comparisons of this material with material from other, coeval occurrences in Europe and North America will lead towards a better understanding of the natural variability of the species under consideration and presents sound data for overregional palaeoclimatological reconstructions.