Studies in the Glossopteris flora of India - 4. Glossopteris, Gangamopteris and Palaeovittaria from the Raniganj Coalfield

P.N. Srivastava

doi:10.54991/jop.1956.483

Authors

P.N. Srivastava Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany, 53 University Road, Lucknow 226007, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54991/jop.1956.483

Abstract

The name Glossopteris was instituted by Brongniart for the large tongue-shaped leaves, which were dominant in the Lower Gondwana flora. So far about 40 species of this genus have been described by various authors. From India alone as many as 18 species are known, majority of which were described by Feistmantel. Since most of the species were founded before the cuticular technique was adopted by the palaeobotanists, species were created on the external characters alone, such as the shape, size and venation of the leaf. However, no two authors agree about the distinctive characters of any particular species and such examples are numerous in the literature. While Feistmantel gave new specific names to the leaves on very minor differences, Arber did not agree in multiplicity of the names. He, in fact, merged several of the Glossopteris species and reduced their number to 13 (ARBER, 1905, pp. 47, 48).

In the present work, cuticles of 14 Indian species of Glossopteris are described. Glossopteris indica (ZElLLER, 1896) and Glossopteris angustifolia (SAHNI, 1923) were repeated in order to find any new details. Glossopteris angustifolia did not reveal any new features worthy of note. The present study, therefore, confirm the observations of Professor Sahni.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

References

Arber EAN (1902). On the Clarke collection of Fossil Plants from New South Wales. Quart. Jour. Geol. Soc. 58.

Arber EAN (1905). The Glossopteris flora. London.

Brongniart A (1828). Prodrome d’une Histoire des vegetaux fossiles. Paris.

Feistmantel O (1876). On some fossil plants from the Damuda Series in the Raniganj Coal-field, collected by Mr. J. Wood-Mason. Journ. Asiatic Soc. Bengal. 45(2): 329.

Feistmantel O (1876). Rec. Geol. Surv. India. 9(3): 76.

Feistmantel O (1877). Note on Fossil Floras in India. Rec. Geol. Surv. India. 10(2): 68.

Feistmantel O (1877). Note on Fossil Floras in India. Rec. Geol. Surv. India. 10(4): 196.

Feistmantel O (1879). The Flora of the Talchir-Karharbari Beds. Pt. 1 and Suppl. of Volume 3 of the Fossil Flora of the Gondwana System. Mem.Geol. Surv. India. Pal. Indica. Ser. 12.

Feistmantel O (1880-81). The Flora of the Damuda – Panchet Divisions. Part 2-3 of Volume 3 of the Fossil Flora of the Gondwana system. Mem. Geol. Surv. India. Pal. Indica. Ser. 12.

Feistmantel O (1882). The Fossil Flora of the South Rewah Gondwana Basin. Part 1 of Volume 4 of the Fossil Flora of the Gondwana System. Mem. Geol. Surv. India. Pal. Indica. Ser. 12.

Feistmantel O (1886). The Fossil Flora of some of the Coalfields in Western Bengal. Part 2 of Volume 4 of the Fossil Flora of Gondwana System. Mem. Geol. Surv. India. Pal. Indica. Ser. 12.

Feistmantel O (1889). Ubersichtliche darstellung der Geologisch-Palaeontologischen Verhaltnisse Sud-Afrikas. Theil 1. Die Karoo-Formation, und die dieselbe unterlagernden Schichten. Abhand. Bohm, Gesell. Wiss. Prag. Ser. 7. 3(6).

Feistmantel O (1890). Geological and Palaeontological relations of the Coal and Plant-bearing beds of Palaeozoic and Mesozoic age in Eastern Australia and Tasmania, etc. Mem. Geol. Surv. New South Wales. Palaeont. No. 3.

Florin R (1940). On Walkomia n. gen., a genus of Upper Palaeozoic conifers from Gondwanaland. K. Svensk. vet. Akad. Hand. 18(5).

Mccoy F (1847). On the Fossil Botany and Zoology of the rocks associated with the coal of Australia. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 20.

Plumstead EP (1952). Description of two new genera and six new species of fructifications borne on Glossopteris leave. Trans. Geol. Soc. S. Africa. 55: 290.

Sahni B (1923). The cuticular structure of Glossopteris angustifolia Brong. Res. Geol. Surv. India. 54(3): 277-280.

Schimper WP (1969). Traite de Palaeontologie vegetal, 1.

Seward AC (1897). On the association of Siggilaria and Glossopteris in South Africa. Quart. Jour. Geol. Soc. 53. 315.

Seward AC & Woodward AS (1905). Permocarboniferous plants and Vertebrates from Kashmir. Mem. Goel. Surv. India. Pal. Indica. N.S. 2. Mem. No. 2.

Tate R (1867). On some secondary fossils from South Africa. Quart. Jour. Geol. Soc. 23.

Tension-Woods JE (1883). On the fossil flora of the Coal Deposits of Australia. Proc. Lin. Soc. New South Wales. 8(1).

Thomas HH (1931). A Glossopteris with whorled leaves. The Palaeobotanist. 1: 435-438. https://doi.org/10.54991/jop.1952.400

Zalessky MD (1912). On the impressions of plants from the Coal-bearing deposits of Sudzenka, Siberia. Bull. Soc. Nat. Orel. (IV).

Zeiller R (1896). Etudes sur quelques plantes fossile, en particulier Vertebraria et Glossopteris, des environs de Johannesburg (Transvaal). Bull. Soc. Geol. France. Ser. 3. 24: 378-379.

Zeiller R (1896). Remarques sur la flore fossile de l’Altai, a propos des dernieres decouvertes palaeobotaniques de MM. les Drs. Bodenbender et Kurtz dens la Republic Argentine. Bull. Soc. Geol. France. Ser. 3. 24: 466.

Zeiller R (1902). Observations sur quelques plantes fossiles des Lower Gondwanas. Mem. Geol. Surv. India. Pal. Indica. New ser. 2. Mem. No. 1.

Zeiller R (1902-3). Flore fossile des Gites de Charbon du Tonkin. (Text 1903; Atlas 1902.) Paris.