Mr Lillie, On Petrified Plant Remains, etc. 411 



On Petrified Plant Remains from the JJi^per Coal Measures of 

 Bristol. By D. G. Lillie, B.A., Hutchinson Student of St John's 

 College. (Communicated by Mr E. A. Newell Arber.) 



[Read 7 February 1910.] 



In working out the flora of the Bristol Coalfield, which con- 

 sists entirely of the impressions of fossil plants, I was fortunate 

 enough to obtain a small quantity of petrified material. This 

 was entirely unexpected, because no other source of structural 

 material of Upper Coal Measure Age is known in Britain. Our 

 whole knowledge of the anatomy of the plants of this period is 

 entirely founded on Lower Coal Measure material from the York- 

 shire and Lancashire Coalfields. 



The horizon of the petrified material from the Bristol Coal- 

 field is Upper Coal Measures. This is shown by the associated 

 impressions, an account of which has recently been published 

 elsewhere*. The material was obtained from the base of the 

 Pennant Grit at one locality, Staple Hill, three miles to the 

 north-east of Bristol. 



A sinking for coal which penetrated for about 300 feet, was 

 made a short time ago in this locality and was abandoned in the 

 Bristol equivalents of the New Rock Series of Radstock, a short 

 distance below the base of the Grit. On this level a massive 

 conglomerate was passed through, the exact thickness of which 

 does not appear to be known ; but the bed was probably of 

 no great thickness. Mr Bolton, F.G.S., Curator of the Bristol 

 Museum, who first examined the sinking, pointed out to me 

 that plant remains occurred, associated with the pebbles, in this 

 conglomerate, and suggested that 1 should collect the material 

 for examination. 



At the time when I visited the locality the sinking had been 

 abandoned for some time and the supply was found to be very 

 limited. It does not appear likely that further material will be 

 obtainable. This peculiar conglomerate has not been recognised 

 elsewhere in the coalfield. I understand that Mr Bolton will 

 publish a full account of this conglomerate, so I need not enter 

 into further details upon the subject in this note. 



The plant remains, associated with the pebbles in the sand- 

 stone matrix, consist of fragmentary portions of stems and 

 petioles, thoroughly isolated from one another and varying greatly 

 in size and diameter. They are calcified, and the structure is 

 preserved, the preservation being excellent in some cases. 



* Lillie, Geological Magazine, Dec. 5, 1910, Vol. vii. p. 58. 



