﻿Vol. 64.] 



FOSSIL PLANTS FROM SOUTH AFRICA. 



8^ 



and from the Little Caledon River. The Stormberg Series is known 

 to be represented in Basutoland, and these Schizoneura-casts maj% 

 therefore, be of Stormberg age. 



ScHizoNEURA AFRiCANA, Foistm. (Permian.) 



In an appendix to Bain's paper on the geology of Southern 

 Africa, Sir Joseph Hooker ^ described and figured a fossil which was 

 found by Bain in the Roggeveld (Fish Eiver) ; no name was proposed 



for the specimen. As 

 Fig. 2. — Schizoneura africana, Feistmantel : '^^ Arber ^ points out 

 torn leaves and section of stem ^three-fifths j^ his recent Cata- 

 of the natural size. logue, Feistmantel re- 



ferred the Fish-River 

 fossil with some hesi- 

 tation to the genus 

 Schizoneura, naming 

 it Sch. (?) africana. 



The specimen re- 

 presented in fig. 2 

 was collected by Mr. 

 Rogers from the lowest 

 beds of the Beaufort 

 Series (Bain's locality), 

 assigned to a Permian 

 horizon. There can 

 be no doubt as to 

 the identity of this 

 and other specimens 

 found by Rogers with 

 the original specimen 

 figured by Sir Joseph 

 Hooker. The stem 

 extends vertically 

 through the rock, and 

 on the exposed surface 

 shown in the drawing 

 portions of five leaves 

 are seen attached to a 

 node. The leaves con- 

 sist of linear laminae, 

 with very distinct 

 and rather prominent 

 parallel veins, united to form a narrow collar in connexion with the 

 stem. 



Mr. A. W. Rogers calls my attention to the vertical position of 

 the stems of this plant, which, as he points out, conveys the 

 impression of stems preserved in their position of growth. 



1 Eain (52) p. 227 & pi. xxviii, fig. 1. 

 - Arber (05) p. 13. 



