A conifer‐like plant occurs among the rich fossil biota at the Late Pennsylvanian–age Hamilton Quarry in southeastern Kansas. Barthelia furcata gen. et sp. nov. has irregularly branched shoots with both forked and simple leaves, simple pollen cones, and compound ovulate fructifications. Stems have an endarch eustele with dense wood surrounding a septate pith. Leaves range from ca. 1 to 5 cm long, display size‐related dimorphism, and have papillate epidermal cells with numerous trichomes and two adaxial stomatiferous bands. Stomatal complexes range from solitary to crowded, occur in longitudinal rows, and are represented by four to seven papillate subsidiary cells. Polar subsidiary cells are elongated parallel to the stomatal rows. Pollen cones are simple and have helically arranged sporophylls with a perpendicularly inserted shank, adaxial pollen sacs, and a forked distal lamina. Prepollen is monolete, monosaccate, and eusaccate. Ovulate fructifications comprise a compound conelike fertile zone of axillary dwarf shoots and extend into a vegetative zone distally. Ovuliferous dwarf shoots are radial, have numerous sterile scales, and occur in the axils of helically arranged bracts with forked tips. Ovules are apparently erect and borne on narrow sporophylls. They have a dense megaspore membrane and rounded micropylar end. The new species has a diagnostic suite of characters that falls outside the familial concepts of previously described spermatophytes. Bartheliaceae fam. nov. is compared to walchian conifers, ginkgophytes, cordaiteans, and other coniferophytic plants. The coniferophyte concept is reviewed, and the uncertain systematic relationships among coniferophytes are discussed.