﻿Vol. 64. J PERMO-CAEBONIFEEOTJS PLANTS FROM VEEEENIGING. 115 



are highly inclined to a conspicuous midrib, and the general 

 appearance recalls Glossoj^teris : Mr. Arber writes : — 



* It appears to me that the nervation is only very occasionally anastomosed, 

 and that the union between the lateral veins is more apparent than real.' 

 (Loc. cit.) 



As regards the geological age of the beds from which Megcdopteris 

 has been recorded, the so-called Devonian rocks of New Brunswick 

 have been assigned by Mr. Kidston^ to the Upper Carboniferous, and 

 the Culm of Devon is now recognized as probably Middle Coal- 

 Measures. The Vereeniging leaf may be compared also with a 

 single pinnule of the Indian fern Danceopsis Hughesi - described 

 by Feistmantel from the Damuda Series ; but we are persuaded 

 that the two are not generically identical. The leaf represented iu 

 PL IX, fig, 2 is no doubt a simple frond, and not a pinnule of a 

 compound leaf ; it therefore seems to us to exhibit a closer resem- 

 blance to Lesleya than to Megalojpteris. This genus was instituted 

 by Lesquereux,"^ for some Olossopteris-like leaves from Pennsylvania 

 with a spathulate lamina and dichotomously-branched veins curving 

 upwards from the midrib. The same type of leaf has been recorded 

 also from the Commentry coal-field,* and more recently another 

 species has been figured by Prof. Zeiller^ from the Stephanian of 

 Prance. It may fairly be argued that we should refer the Yereeni- 

 ging specimens to I'ceniopteris, but the venation is not such as one 

 is accustomed to associate with that genus. We have decided to 

 adopt the generic name Glossopteris, and to designate the specimens 

 Ql. angustifolia, var. tmniopteroides. This decision is the result of 

 a letter received from Prof. Zeiller, to whom we submitted a drawing 

 and description of the specimens : our thanks are due to him for 

 what we regard as a satisfactory solution of our difficulty. Certain 

 examples of Gl. indica described by Prof. Zeiller^ from India 

 exhibit a case of variation in the degree of anastomosis between 

 the veins analogous to that in the leaf shown in PI. IX, fig. 2, and 

 in text-figures 2 & 3 (p. 114), as compared with the usual venation 

 of Gl. angustifolia. One of the leaves'^ of Gl. indica figured by 

 Prof. Zeiller is characterized by secondary veins with few cross- 

 connexions, and, as he points out, it suggests Tceniopteris rather 

 than Glossopteris ; but the occurrence of transitional forms connecting 

 this type with the normal leaves of this species leaves no doubt 

 as to the correctness of the identification. A specimen figured by 

 Messrs. Jack & Etheridge,^ from Queensland, as Tceniopteris 

 sp. ind., agreeing with the Yereeniging fossil in shape and in the 

 absence of lateral anastomoses, may possibly afford another example 



1 On the age of the Canadian rocks, see Matthew (01) & White (02). 



2 Feistmantel (82) pis. iv-x. 



3 Lesquereux (79) pi. xxv & (80) p. 142. 



* Eenault & Zeiller (88) p. 285 & pi. xxiii, Qg. 6. 



' Zeiller (06) pp. 112-13 & pi. xxxii, figs. 7-7 a. 



6 Zeiller (02) pp. 8 ei segq. 



^ Ibid. p. 11 & pi. iii, fig. 3. 



8 Jack & Etheridge (92) pi. xvi, fig. 4. 



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