Fossil Floras of Cape Colony. 81 



years been made by Professor Zeiller, of Paris, to our kno\vleclji;e of 

 the venation characters of Glossoptcris fronds. In his account of 

 fossil plants from the neighbourhood of Johannesburg, Zeiller gives 

 drawings of the venation characters of the type-specimen ^= of CHos- 

 sopteris indica Schimp., and in his memoir on Indian plants f the 

 venation characters of this and other forms are admirably illustrated. 

 We still lack satisfactory information as to the taxonomic position 

 of the genus, although one is tempted to draw conclusions from 

 negative evidence. 



The extraordinary alnindance of Glossopteris fronds monopolising 

 vast areas of sedimentary beds in different regions of India, South 

 Africa, Australia, and elsewhere, renders the absence of well-defined 

 and undoubted sporangia a striking fact. It may be tliat the fertile 

 fronds differed considerably in form from the sterile, or possibly 

 typical filicinean sporangia were not borne by the leaves of this 

 genus. 



The most interesting consideration in regard to Glossopteris is its 

 geographical distribution. The announcement by Amalitzky I in 

 1897 of the occurrence of this plant in Permian beds of Vologda, 

 which has already been discussed by Zeiller in a paper published in 

 1898, § constituted an important contribution to our knowledge. 



The Glossopteris leaves from Vereeniging are for the most part very 

 imperfectly preserved, and the venation characters are not sufficiently 

 distinct to describe in detail. In many cases the midrib is clearly 

 shown, but the secondary veins are eitlier invisible or exceedingly 

 obscure. 



Plate X., fig. 1 (XXII.). 



A broader form of leaf, 21 cm. long, agreeing in shape with speci- 

 mens of the type known as Glossoptcris browniana var. indica. The 

 midrib is distinctly shown, but hardly any trace of secondary veins 

 can be detected. 



Glossopteris browniaxa Brongn. var. angustifolia. 



Plate X., fig. 3. 



I have previously adopted this designation for the narrow type of 

 Glossopteris fronds which Brongniart named G. angustifolia. The 

 specimens from Vereeniging are too imperfect to afford any guide 

 as to the advisability of regarding the narrower leaves as a distinct 



* Zeiller (96), p. 307, tigs. 11, 12. t Ibi'l. (02). 



: Amalitzky (97). § Zeiller (98). 



