446 Dr. F. Kurtz — The Fossil Plants of Argentina. 



V. — Recent Discoveries of Fossil Plants in Argentina. 

 (Extract of a Letter from Dr. F. Kurtz-, National Academy of 

 Sciences, Cordoba, Argentine Republic.) 



Communicated by W. T. Blaxford. 



[The following is an extract from a letter just received from 

 Dr. Kurtz, who first discovered and described a Lower Gondwana 

 (Glossopteris) flora in Argentina about two years ago. Mis paper 

 was published in Spanish in the Eevista del Museo de La Plata, 

 vol. vi, and a translation in English was inserted by Mr. Griesbach, 

 Director of the Geological Survey of India, in the Records of the 

 Survey, vol. xxviii, 1895, pt. 3, p. 111. Shortly afterwards, Pro- 

 fessor Zeiller added some very important and remarkable facts 

 showing the occurrence of the same flora, associated with Lejrido- 

 dendron, in Southern Brazil ; and I wrote, at Mr. Griesbach's 

 request, a brief comment on the data so far accumulated for the 

 Records of the Geological Survey of India, in the May number of 

 which, for the present year, my note was published. Dr. Kurtz's 

 letter, containing several very interesting additions to our know- 

 ledge of the Argentine fossil floras, was written on the receipt of 

 my paper, and as he has kindly allowed me to make the facts 

 known, I have much pleasure in doing so, by permission of the 

 Editor of the Geological Magazine.— W. T. B.] 



Tj^HE most important addition to the fossil flora of the Bajo de 

 _L Velis (which locality I visited from Dec, 1 894. to March, 1895) 

 is the discovery of Rhipidopsis ginglcoides, Schmalh., and R. densi- 

 nervis, Fstm., each represented by well-preserved leaves and 

 numerous fruits. Both species are met with in the Damudas of 

 India — R. densinervis in the Raniganj (Kamthi group), R. ginglcoides 

 in the Barakar (Duranga Coalfield), the latter together with 

 Cyclopitys dichotoma, Fstm. (this curious type was detected by 

 my friend and colleague, Dr. Bodenbender, in the Sierra de Los 

 Llanos, in the south of the province of La Rioja). 



Schmalhausen described his Rhipidopsis ginglcoides from deposits 

 at the Petschora, which he considered to be of Jurassic age, but 

 which will be more properly associated with the Permian, as 

 already pointed out by Mr. C. Kosmovskj^. 1 [I am almost convinced 

 that the splendid Zamiopteris glossopteroides, Schmalh. (Mem. Ac. 

 Sci. Petersbg., ser. vii, vol. xxvii, No. 4, pi. xiv, 1-3), from the Lower 

 Tunguska, occurring there with Noggerathiopsis (= Rhiptozamites, 

 Schmalh.), is a true Glossopteris.~] Besides the two species of Rhipi- 

 dopsis, I found splendid and complete specimens of Equisetites 

 Morenianus, Kurtz, proving this plant to belong to one of the larger 

 species of Equisetites (the joints of the stem being 3 cm. long and 

 nearly as broad). 



During various expeditions to the Sierra de Los Llanos, Dr. 



1 C. Kosmovsky, " Quelques mots sur les couches a vegetaux fossiles dans la 

 Bussie orientate et dans la Siberie" : Bull. Soc. Imp. Nat. de Moscou, 1891, No. 1, 

 pp. 170-7. 



