130 SAGENOPTEEIS 



Similar bodies have also been described by Zigno' from the 

 Italian Oolitic strata, but his figures are anything but convincing. 

 Schimper, in Zittel's "Handbuch,"^ considers there can scarcely be 

 a doubt that we must regard Sagenopteris as a genus of the JRhizo- 

 cerpea, and very near to Marsilea. As Solms-Laubach ' has shown, 

 the arguments on which this reference of Sagennpteris to the 

 MarsihacecB is based are far from satisfactory. 



The two leaf fragments figured by Peistmantel * from the 

 Earharbari beds of India as Sagenopteris (?) Stolimana, Feist., 

 have surely very little claim to be included in Presl's genus. Ve 

 may define the genus as follows : — 



Leaves with long stalk, bearing at the apex four palmately- 

 placed leaflets ; leaflets vary considerably in shape and size in 

 the several species and on the same leaf, asymmetrical, linear- 

 lanceolate, spathulate, ovate, etc. ; venation reticulate, the meshes 

 elongated in the direction of the long axis of the leaflet ; towards 

 the basal end of the leaflets there is often a fairly well-defined 

 midrib which rapidly splits up into a number of anastomosing 

 branches as it passes towards the apex of the leaflet. Fructi- 

 fication in the form of oval or spherical bodies bearing sporangia. 



Sagenopteris Mantelli (Dunker). 



1846. Cyelopteris Mantelli, Dunker, "Wealdenbildung, p. 10, pi. ix. figs, i 

 and 6. 



1849. Adiantites Mnntelli, Brongniart, Tableau, p. 107. 



1850. Cyelopteris Mantelli, Unger, Gen. spec, plant, foss. p. 95. 



1862. ? Cyelopteris Mantelli (in part), Ettingshansen, Abh. k.-k. geol. 



Eeichs. vol. i. Abtb. iii. No. 2, p. 13, pi. iii. fig. 15. 

 1869. Aneimiditim Mantelli, Schimper, Trait, pal. veg. vol. i. p. 486. 

 1871. Sagenopteris Mantelli, Schenk, Palasontographica, vol. xix. p. 222, 



pi. ixxi. fig. 5. 

 1874. Aneimidium Mantelli, Schimper, Trait, pal. veg. vol. iii. p. 486. 

 1886. ? Thinnfeldia variabilis, Velenovsky, Gymu. bohm. Ereid. p. 6, 



pi. ii. figs. 1-6. 

 1890. ? Saginopteris, sp., Yokoyama, Journ. Coll. Soi. Japan, vol. iii. p. 38, 



pi. A. figs. 3 and 3a. 



1 Flor. foss. Oolit. vol. i. p. 186, pi. xx. 



' Vol. i. p. 164. 



' Fossil Botany, p. 182. 



« Fobs. F1. Gond. yol. iii. 1881, pt. i. (1879), p. 18, pi. xiii. fig. 4. 



