Angiosperms are the 

 i phylogenetic arrange] 



i he older group? 

 1 phyla of independen 



these really form homogenetic groups 

 ■ 'nder '- 



y families of Gymn 

 s Mesozoic period ; but in the Perm 

 carboniferous epoch the true Cycads and Conifers appear not to ha 

 arisen. There is, however, an important family, the Cordttttetr. vi 

 somewhat generalized characters and undoubtedly Gymnospermoi 

 There is also a very important and rema 



supposed to be ferns, known as the Pteridosperms or Seed-ferns. The 

 seed-ferns had large fern-like leaves, but the anatonmal >truct;i 

 rather of Gymnosperms and, as it has sin< 

 nbling those c ' ~ 



i , ,■ / i, hula wen \ robabh derived In m the great plexus of 



~ idosperms are well represented in our area 



rtrappean rocks of the Rajmahal Hills and in the Panchet 



Pteridosperms. The Pteridospen 



in the intertrappean rocks of the 



and Damuda rocks (ride Geology, p. 7). They w< 



a strong constituent of the great QlossopU /* Mora which ^ . ci ai 



teristic of various regions separated now by the ocean, hut whu 



once perhaps formed parts of the hypotl 



land. Possibly tha-t continent itself now hides beneal 



jin of the Angiosperms. 



198. The Pteridosperms are quite as 



Lower Carboniferous as in the upper bed 



mainly from u very rare. Th< 



occur also in the Upper Devonian, an- 1 a< far back as the ear 

 Devonian a single fossil (/'"' 

 r he L't. -ndosperms and the ferns except their remarkable similarity 



the Filices, and even the Primo-filices (a group apparently 

 - ; their sporangia are furnished with an annulus composed 

 as far back as the i-'n allies ,.f :r 



Devonian. 



199. On the geological record alone, therefore, it would appear 

 the Gymnosperms are of quite as old a stock as. if not older t 

 the Ferns, and mi this record there appears to be some reasor 

 supposing an independent origin not onlv for the (iymnosperms 

 Pteridophyta, but also for the Lvcopods and Horsetails. 



