242 GLOSSOPTERIS AND ITS ALLIES, 



Possibly one of these pairs is displayed in Sagenopteris tasmanica, 

 Johnston.* The leaflets vary in shape from lanceolate to elliptical 

 and obpyriform. On the other hand, Fontainef describes five 

 leaflets in Sagenopteris from the Potomac younger Mesozoic Flora. 

 Lindley and Hutton| figure one example of S. Phillipsii with four 

 lanceolate fronds forming a clump, sessile in one case, sub-petiolate 

 in another. Their second figure exhibits oval leaves. In *S'. (^) 

 longifoUa, Feist., § the fronds are increased to six in number, 

 lanceolate, and again possessing the same fingered arrangement at 

 the end of a small caudex, but in this case sessile. Again, in S. 

 polyphylla, Feist., || if this really be a Sagenoi^teris, an additional 

 leaflet is present, making seven, and in this instance petiolate. 

 The mid-rib is visible in the lower part of each, but is rapidly 

 dissolved into the secondary veins, which branch at a tolerably 

 acute angle and anastomose to form a network of elongated meshes, 

 described by Schimperll as hexagonal-rhomboidal. In reality the 

 mesh is polymorphous, and even variable on the same frond. 

 Both Schimper** and Schenkff agree in describing the leaflets as 

 coriaceous. The centre leaflets are usually longer than those at 

 the side, and more or less obovate, whilst the latter are elliptical and 

 unequal-sided. ft In his five pinnule frond Fontaine says that the 

 right and left outermost leaflets are the smaller, which practically 

 agrees with Schenk's observations. Or, the whole may be 

 elliptical or even lanceolate. Feistmantel §§ believed that the 



* Feistmantel, Mem. Geol. Survey N.S. Wales, Pal. Series, No. 3, 

 1890, t. 29, f. 6. 



t Moil. U.S. Geol. Survey (Powell's), 18S9, xv. 



+ Foss. Flora, i. p. 63, t. 63. 



§Pal, Indica (Gondwana Flora), 1881, Hi. Pt. 3, p. 113, t. 40a, f. 1. 



Wlbid. p. 113, t. 41a, f. 3 and 4. 



IT Traits Pal. V6g. 1869, i. p. 640. 



** Ibid. p. 640. 



ttZittel's Palc^ontologie (Fr. trans.), Pt. ii. — Pali^ophytologie, Pfc. 1, 1891, 



p. 150. ♦ 



tJSchenk, Foss. Flora Grenzsch. Keupers-Lias Frankens, 1867, p. 59. 

 §§Pal. Indica (Gondwana Flora), 1881, iii. Pt. 3, p. 114. 



