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



This is the type of the Indian fossil plant, which has not been 

 found in Europe, nor hitherto in Australia. It is distinguished 

 by its long, straight, pinnate, feather like leaves, regularly acuminate 

 above and below. The pinnules are very close and somewhat 

 imbricate at the base, but the decurrent portion does not unite 

 with the base of the leaflet beneath, but passes behind it. The 

 nerves are somewhat numerous, well-defined, simple or bi-furcate 

 and more or less divergent. The principal distinction is the 

 manner in which the pinnules are affixed to the rachis. They 

 were small and elegant plants which must have been abundant in 

 the places where they grew, as numbers are always found entombed 

 together. They seem to have no analogy with any living form. 

 Two species are known, and both from India. 



These plants were originally classed with Palceozamia. 

 Endlicher, which included certain fossils referred by Brongniart to 

 Zamia, and by Lindley and Hutton, to Ferns. Oldham in 1862, 

 proposed to arrange the genus in three sections, viz. : — 1. 

 Ptilophyllum, with linear pinnse, apiDroximate, scarcely auriculate^ 

 nerves parallel or slightly divergent. 2. Otozamites. — Pinnae 

 lanceolate, auriculate or semi-cordate at the base, veins fine, 

 numerous, divergent. 3. Sphenozamites. — Pinna? ovate, wedge- 

 shaped or cuneiform, not auriculate at the base, veins numerous, 

 diverging. The section Ptilophyllum, included five species from 

 India, which are described in the 1st vol. of the Fossil Flora of 

 the G-onclwana system (pp. 27 to 31)* as Palceo zamia. 



When the revision of the Flora came out in 1880, Dr. 

 Feistmantel in the same vol. at p. 116 (p. 64 of the Fasciculus) 

 gave his reasons for including Oldham's section, Ptilophyllum, 

 in a distinct genus of that name, which had been proposed by 

 Morris in 1840.* He says (loc. cit.) " Ptilophyllum, is a peculiar 

 Indian genus, which in the same form has not occurred elsewhere. 

 The only analogy is the Liassic Otozamites gracilis, Kurr sp. The 

 chief characteristics are in the insertion and the basal angle of the 



* Memoirs of the Geol. Surv. of India. Palajontologica Indica, Ser. II. 

 Calcutta. Govt. Printing Office, London, Triibner and Co., 1880. But 

 Oldham's part appeared much earlier, in 1862. 



