Abstract: Drepanophycus spinaeformis Goeppert is a plant of world-wide distribution in the Lower Devonian. Although this species has been reported from numerous localities, it is far from being understood well, because the fertile material is rare. Observation on specimens from the Danlin Formation of Guizhou showed that the sporangia were borne on short stalks attached laterally to the axes near the leaf axil, nearly sphaeroid, and smaller than Rayner’ kidney sporangia. Howerer, other character, e. g. banded nutritive axis bearing spiral drepanoid leaves, perforated tracheid wall, are the same as those described by Rayner. We agree with Rayner in raising Drepanophycales to the status of class, Drepanophycopsida, parallel with Zosterophyllopsida and Lycopsida. The systematic position of Drepanophycopsida is in between Zosterophyllopsida and Lycopsida. The class includes one order, one family and three genera (Drepanophycus, Baragwanathia and Asteroxylon).The fertile parts of the plant are reported for the first time in China.

Key words: Early Devonian, Drepanophycus spinaeformis, Sporangia, Tracheid