56 ON THE FOSSIL FLORA OF THE COAL DEPOSITS OF AUSTRALIA, 



Victoria. — I am strongly inclined to think that some of the 

 carbonaceous beds of Victoria represent these beds. 



Tasmania. — Not known. I have not included any of the 

 "VVianamatta beds in this list, as I am uncertain of their true 

 position. They appear to contain the same flora as the Hawkes- 

 bury rocks, and cannot be distinguished from them. 



Position Uncertain. 



Queensland — Plant beds at Posewood, west of Eockhampton, 

 with Ptilophylhwi oligoneurwn, Vertebraria towarrensis, Sequoiites 

 (?) australis, Pecojiteris, Equisetum and Ptilophyllum have hitherto 

 been known only from India. 



General Summary. — It will be seen from the foregoing history 

 of the literature of our plant fossils, that the controversy was 

 narrowed in the end to very small limits. It was simply 

 this : — Are the characteristic plants of the Newcastle coal found 

 under the marine paleozoic fossils. Unless we reject all evidence, 

 we must come to the conclusion that they are. Secondly, the 

 question is: — Have these plants a mesozoic facies? We must 

 certainly answer in the affirmative. This is to say one species, 

 Glossopteris browniana, is found in beds as high as the Jurassic in 

 India, and is a common fossil in lower mesozoic formations there. 

 The genus is also well represented in the mesozoic rocks. The 

 other instance of mesozoic forms in the Newcastle beds are 

 doubtful. Vertebraria is probably the root of an Equisetaceous 

 plant, and these roots present much the same appearance in every 

 formation, and, therefore, are not important in this question. 

 Phyllotheca is probably the plant of which Vertebraria is the 

 root. The Phyllotheca of the Newcastle coal is closely allied to 

 Equisetum but with very long terete leaves round the sheath. 

 This is the only way we have of identifying it. Stems alone with- 

 out the leaves are such as might belong to several different plants. 

 It may be safely affirmed that the Newcastle species of Phyllotheca 

 is confined to the upper and lower coal, and that any identification 

 above that depends upon the stems which may have belonged to 



