246 GLOSSOPTERIS AND ITS ALLIES, 



A few words may now be said about the stems of our Mudgee 

 fossil and Sagenoj)teris. That of the former has already been 

 described, but so far as we have been able to ascertain the caudex 

 properly speaking of Sagenopteris is unknown, the leaves or fronds 

 being attached at the end of a long leaf stalk, and as described by 

 Count von Solms-Laubach,* "spring from the same point." 

 Such is certainly the case in aS'. polypyhlla, Feist., S. rhoifolia, 

 Presl., 5. elongata, Braun, &c. On the other hand, the caudex or 

 leaf stalk in S. (?) longifolia, Feist., certainly has a roughened 

 appearance, which may have been caused by leaf scars, or it may 

 only be due to fossilisation. Feistmantel has figuredf a " fern- 

 rhizome" from the Karharbari Coal-field, ascribed to a Neuropteris, 

 covered with rhomboidal scars, possessing a generally indistinct 

 spiral arrangement, and not unlike those of our Glossopteris, but 

 without fronds attached. 



The general resemblance of our Mudgee Glosso2yteris to Feist- 

 mantel's Sagenojjteris f?J longifolia,^ in every detail, except the 

 form of the venation and number of leaves, is remarkable, with a 

 clump of six sessile lanceolate leaves at the end of a small leaf 

 stalk. 



7. Relation of Glossopteris to Aa'^throphvopsis. 



The latter of these names was applied by Nathorst§ to certain 

 portions of simple leaves, either lanceolate, or wide and round, 

 with anastomosing veins forming a longitudinally rhombic- 

 hexagonal mesh. The above Author remarks that it differs from 

 Glossopteris in the absence of a mid-rib, but possibly Feistmantel || 

 is more correct in suggesting a closer alliance to typical species of 

 Gangamopteris. In the absence of the central portion of the 

 frond it is difficult to discuss the systematic position of Anthro- 



* Fossil Botany (Engl. Transl. by Garnsey and Balfour), 1891, p. 138. 



t Pal. Indica (Gondwana Flora), 1879, iii. Pt. 1, p. 18, t. 13, f. 6. 



iPal. Indica (Gondwana Flora), 1881, iii. Pt. 3, p. 113, t. 40a, f. 1. 



§Floran vid Bjuf, 1878, i. p. 43. 



II Pal. Indica (Gondwana Flora), 1881, iii. Pt. 3, p. 115. 



