Scliimper and Mougeot, in the Bunter of Nottingham. 405 



Conclusion. 



The fossils indicate a large plant with smooth stems at least 

 three inches in diameter. Only the smaller stems appear to have 

 borne leaves, which were at first united by their margins to form 

 leaf segments or leaf sheaths. Later the leaves became more or 

 less free to their bases by splitting along the commissural lines. 

 The upper portion of the stem bore whorls of branches at the 

 nodes, whilst the underground stem gave off numerous slender, 

 probably adventitious, roots ending in branching rootlets. 



The vegetative organs of this plant are so similar to those of 

 the Keuper specimens of Schizoneura paradoxa, S. and M., de- 

 scribed by Wills, that they may be regarded as the same species. 



At the same time a few minor differences are noticeable. The 

 pith casts differ amongst themselves, and also from the Keuper 

 specimens, in size, and in the relative coarseness and fineness of 

 the ribbing; such variations may be expected to occur even in 

 different parts of the same plant. 



Whilst the Keuper specimens of the root usually make an 

 angle of 60° with the rootlets, in the Bunter plant this angle is 

 nearly always 90°. 



From the puckering of the leaves in the Keuper fossils Wills 

 inferred that those organs were thick structures; but the leaves of 

 the Bunter were undoubtedly thin and delicate. 



In conclusion it may be remarked that this discovery of the 

 first evidence of contemporary life in the Bunter rocks of England 

 is not merely an interesting fact. The occurrence of the same 

 species of land plant in both the Lower Keuper and the Bunter 

 is of importance as evidence that the unconformity between these 

 two divisions of the Trias in the Midlands is probably not an in- 

 dication of a long lapse of time. It further suggests that the 

 physical conditions which prevailed during these two periods were 

 not very diverse. 



