Description is given of some interesting plant fossils preserved as petrifactions in the Rajmahal Hills, Jharkhand. These are either new and reponed for the first time or an additional information is given on already known earlier description. The fossil taxa belong to algae, lichen, gymnosperms and angiosperms.
Anatomy is described of three new organ genera-stem, petiole and leaflet of petrified cycadean plants. In addition, information about a bisexual bennettitalean fructification is given and free nucelli of conifer seeds are recorded. Comparison and critical remarks are given on the fossil plants included in this paper.
Occurrence of two kinds of fossil fungi in forms of non–septate (coenocytic) and septate mycelia and unicellular spores (conidia) in thin sections of silicified cherts of Nipania and Sonajori localities in the Rajmahal Hills, Jharkhand are described. In the former locality mycelia and hyphae are non–septate, conidia numerous and nucleated on the ‘bark’ of the Pentoxylon stem while in the latter (Sonajori) mycelia and hyphae are septate with only few conidia in the integument of an ovule of Araucarites mittrii. There is no earlier record of saprophytic fossil fungi from the Rajmahal Hills.
Morphology of an elongated, cylindrical, oval, or ovate, coenocytic plant fossil resembling sporogonium of Notothylas is reinterpreted and correlated now with an extant fresh water green alga Characiosiphon Iyengar. In extinct material the wall layer is present but non-cellular and is covered over by a thick mucilaginous sheath. The protoplast is divided into discrete units each with a chloroplast and the nucleus. Zoospores? And zoogametes? liberated through an apical pore. A planospores are also identified. A new name Characiosiphonites nipanica has been suggested for Sporangioceros nipanica and a reconstruction of the fossil plant is attempted.
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