On a ginkgoalean leaf from the Triassic of Madhya Pradesh

Abstract

The paper records the first definite ginkgoalean leaf from the Indian Triassic sediments. The leaf is petiolate with semiorbicular lamina, basal angle about 200º and veins generally 1 mm apart. As the leaf is quite different from the known ginkgoalean species, it has been given a new name, viz., Ginkgoites goiraensis sp. nov.

Sidhiphyllites: A new Ginkgophytic leaf genus from the Triassic of Nidpur, India

“…The subsidiary cells arou nd the guard cells in the cuticles of Ginkgoites species show a varying degree of development of papillae projecting over the stomatal pits, a feature absent in the new genus Sidhiphyllites. However, S. flabellatus in its epidermal structu re approaches closely Baierophyllites florinii described by Jain and Delevoryas (1967) Of the Indian species of Ginkgoales, G. goiraensis Maheshwari & Banerji (1978) differs from S. flabellatus in having asymmetric:dly incised lamina along with sparse veins; Ginkgoites lobata (Feistmantel) Seward & Sahni (1920) in its wedge-shaped lamina; Ginkgoites crassipes Feistmantel (1879) in possessing undivided lamina; Ginkgoites feistmantelii Bose & Dev (1959) in bearing more or less reniform lamina and Ginkgoites rajmahalensis Sah & Jain (1965) (= Ginkgo rajmahalensis of Zeba Ba no, Maheshwari & Bose, 1979) in having linear, clubshaped asymmetrically placed segments with veins converging towards apex.…”

“…The generic name Ginkgoites has here been used again in view of Harris' (1976) observation that fossil Ginkgo or Ginkgoites are similar looking leaves of considerably different plants. Maheshwari and Banerji (1978) had also followed the same procedure but in 1979, Zeba-Bano, Maheshwari and Bose referri ng to Harris (1974) readopted the name Ginkgo for their forms. However, in the present paper the generic name Ginkgoites is revived.…”

Early Permian plant fossils from the Barakar formation of Auranga coalfield, Bihar

“…With the present state of our knowledge it is difficult to trace out the earliest happening of ginkgopsids in India, but the floristics of Rajmahal and Auranga basins suggest that they were natural ally of Early Permian flora of India (Maheshwari & Bajpai, 1992). The available records of ginkgophytes in the Upper Permian Kamthi Formation (Feistmantel, 1881;Bunbury, 1861), Upper Triassic Parsora Formation (Maheshwari & Banerji, 1978) and Lower Cretaceous beds of Raghvapuram, Sriperumbudur, Bansa Formation (Bose & Dev, 1959), Jabalpur Formation (Seward & Sahni, 1920) and Rajmahal Formation (Sah &Jain, 1965) explain the possible continuation of ginkgophytes in the Indian Gondwana flora.…”