An Early Permian Glossopteris flora from the Umrer Coalfield, Wardha Basin, Maharashtra, India

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An Early Permian Glossopteris flora from the UmrerCoalfield, Wardha Basin, Maharashtra, IndiaRajni Tewari a , Sundeep K. Pandita a , Deepa Agnihotri a , S.S.K Pillai b & Mary E.C.Bernardes-de-Oliveira ca Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany, 53, University Road, Lucknow, 226007, Indiab Department of Geology, University of Jammu, Jammu, 180006, Indiac Department of Palaeontology, Universidade de São Paulo, IGc/USP, Rua do Lago 562,São Paulo, SP, Cep. 05508-080, Brazil

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To cite this article: Rajni Tewari, Sundeep K. Pandita, Deepa Agnihotri, S.S.K Pillai & Mary E.C. Bernardes-de-Oliveira(2012): An Early Permian Glossopteris flora from the Umrer Coalfield, Wardha Basin, Maharashtra, India, Alcheringa: AnAustralasian Journal of Palaeontology, 36:3, 355-371

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An Early Permian Glossopteris flora from the Umrer Coalfield,

Wardha Basin, Maharashtra, India

RAJNI TEWARI, SUNDEEP K. PANDITA, DEEPA AGNIHOTRI, S. S. K. PILLAI andMARY E. C. BERNARDES-DE-OLIVEIRA

TEWARI, R., PANDITA, S.K., AGNIHOTRI, D., PILLAI, S.S.K. & BERNARDES-DE-OLIVEIRA, M.E.C., September 2012. An Early PermianGlossopteris flora from the Umrer Coalfield, Wardha Basin, Maharashtra, India. Alcheringa 36, 355–371. ISSN 0311-5518.

A rich and well-preserved Glossopteris-dominated plant fossil assemblage is described from the Barakar Formation of the Makardhokra andUmrer open-cast projects, Umrer Coalfield, Nagpur District, Wardha Basin, Maharashtra, India. The assemblage includes equisetalean axes,cordaitalean leaves (Noeggerathiopsis hislopii), Gangamopteris clarkeana and diverse Glossopteris leaves and a fertile organ assigned to Scutumsp. cf. S. leslii. The flora, although similar to that of the Barakar Formation of the Damodar Basin complex (the reference basin system withrespect to the qualitative and quantitative distribution of Indian Permian plant taxa), exhibits unique characteristics and is Artinskian toKungurian in age. Besides supplementing knowledge of the broader Wardha Basin flora, this is the first systematic documentation of theGlossopteris flora from the Barakar Formation of this basin.

Rajni Tewari [[email protected]], Deepa Agnihotri [[email protected]], S.S.K. Pillai [[email protected]],Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany, 53, University Road, Lucknow-226007, India; Sundeep K. Pandita [[email protected]],Department of Geology, University of Jammu, Jammu-180006, India; Mary E.C. Bernardes-De-Oliveira [[email protected]], Department ofPalaeontology, Universidade de Sao Paulo, IGc/USP, Rua do Lago 562. Sao Paulo, SP, Cep. 05508-080, Brazil. Received 10.8.2011, revised21.11.2011, accepted 7.12.2011.

Key words: Glossopteris Flora, Barakar Formation, Early Permian, Umrer Coalfield, Wardha Basin, India.

THE GLOSSOPTERIS FLORA of India is knownfrom several Permian basins (Fig. 1), viz., theDamodar–Koel, Son–Mahanadi, South Rewa, Sat-pura, Rajmahal, Wardha and Godavari basins(Lakhanpal et al. 1976, Singh & Chandra 1987,1995, 1996, 1999, Chandra & Tewari 1991, Bajpai& Singh 1994, Rajanikanth & Prakash 1994, Singh2000, Tewari & Srivastava 2000a, Srivastava &Tewari 2001a, 2001b, 2004, Goswami et al. 2006a,2006b, Singh et al. 2006a, 2006b, 2006c, 2007,Tewari 2007, 2008, Srivastava & Agnihotri 2010,Srivastava et al. 2010). Plant macrofossil recordsfrom the Wardha Basin are sparse and mainlyconfined to the Wardha Valley Coalfield, Chandra-pur District and Kamptee Coalfield, Nagpur Dis-trict, Maharashtra (Bunbury 1861, Feistmantel1881, Varadpande 1977a, 1977b, Chitnis & Vagyani1979, Chandra & Prasad 1981, Raja Rao 1982,Agashe & Prasad 1989, Agashe & Shashi Kumar1996, 2001, Agashe 2001, Tewari & Rajanikanth2001, Agarwal et al. 2007, Tewari 2007, 2008).Besides the Wardha Valley and Kamptee coalfields,other coalfields in this basin include the Bandar,

Umrer, Nand and Yeotmal coalfields (Raja Rao1982, Singh et al. 2005). Recently, Singh et al. (2005)reported macrofossils of Sakmarian age from theNand Coalfield. Macrofloral records from the UmrerCoalfield are scarce (Sundaram & Nandi 1984) andhave never been thoroughly investigated.

Our work entails a systematic morphotaxonomicstudy of a rich and diverse, well-preserved macrofossilassemblage recovered from the Barakar Formation ofthe Makardhokra and Umrer open cast projects of theUmrer Coalfield. The assemblage includes represen-tatives of the Equisetales, Glossopteridales andCordaitales. It includes species of Glossopteris, Gang-amopteris, Noeggerathiopsis, Scutum and indetermi-nate equisetalean axes.

Earlier records of the Glossopteris flora from theBarakar Formation of the Umrer Coalfield includeSchizoneura gondwanensis, Phyllotheca indica, Gang-amopteris cyclopteroides, Glossopteris browniana, G.communis, G. indica, Noeggerathiopsis hislopii, Bur-iadia sewardii and Samaropsis milleri (Sundaram &Nandi 1984). Except for the taxa Glossopterisbrowniana, G. communis, G. indica and Noeggerathip-sis hislopii, the remaining 11 species of Glossopteris,Gangamopteris clarkeana and the fructification Scu-tum sp. cf. S. leslii described herein are newly recordedfor the area.

ISSN 0311-5518 (print)/ISSN 1752-0754 (online)� 2012 Association of Australasian Palaeontologistshttp://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03115518.2012.648416

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Geological setting and samplelocationsThe Umrer Coalfield is one of the most importantcoalfields of the Wardha Basin due to its sizeablereserves of coal. The coalfield is situated about 44 kmsouthwest of Nagpur, Maharashtra, in central India.It covers an area of about 5 km2 lying betweenlatitudes 2085004500N and 2085205000N and longitudes798160E and 7981803000E. The coal-bearing area lieswest of Umrer town and is covered by thick black soiland sporadic occurrences of the Cretaceous LametaFormation (Fig. 2). Within the Permian succession,the Talchir Formation grades upward into the

Barakar Formation with a total estimated thicknessof about 200 m in the central part of the basin(Table 1; Raja Rao 1982). Three distinctive informallithostratigraphic units have been recognized withinthe Barakar Formation of both the Makardhokra andUmrer open cast projects. The basal, arenaceous/argillaceous unit is represented by fine- to coarse-grained greyish sandstones with interbeds of grey andcarbonaceous shale. This unit is devoid of anyworkable coal seam and attains a maximum thicknessof 72 m. The middle unit is characterized by alternat-ing shales, sandstones and three coal seams, viz., thetop, middle and bottom seams. This unit is about70 m thick and includes 30–40 m of coal. The

Fig. 1. Map of India showing the distribution of various Permian basins (after Raja Rao 1982).

356 RAJNI TEWARI et al. ALCHERINGA

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uppermost, arenaceous unit comprises mainly med-ium- to coarse-grained sandstones with a prominentband of grey carbonaceous shale.

The present investigation is based on samplescollected from the Barakar Formation of theMakardhokra and Umrer open cast projects, UmrerCoalfield, near Waigaon village (Fig. 2). Macrofossilshave been collected from the carbonaceous greyshales above the top seam of the Makardhokra OpenCast Project and from the shales and sandstones ofthe middle seam, Umrer Open Cast Project (Fig. 3).The plant fossils constitute well-preserved impres-sions on shales and show fine details of the venationand gross leaf morphology. Around 75 specimenshave been studied, and the estimated proportions of

taxa in the flora (Fig. 4) are derived from the numberof plant fragments on collected slabs identifiable togenus or species level. Leaves were studied with theaid of a hand lens and a low-power binocularmicroscope. Identifications are based on leaf shape,nature of the apex, base, midrib, venation patternand, in some cases, size. The terminology of leafshape, apex and base follows Lawrence (1955), andthat of the venation pattern follows Melville (1969)and Chandra & Surange (1979). The fructificationhas been identified on the basis of shape, nature ofthe marginal wing and character of the seed scars onthe receptacle. All the type and figured specimens aredeposited in the repository of the Birbal SahniInstitute of Palaeobotany (BSIP), Lucknow, India.

Age Formation Lithology

Quaternary – Black soil and alluviumCretaceous Lameta Limestones and sandstones— — — Unconformity — — —Early Triassic Kamthi Reddish-brown sandstones, yellowish and brown shales— — — Unconformity — — —Early Permian Barakar Coarse-grained sandstones, carbonaceous shales and coals

Talchir Greenish shales with sparse bands of sandstone— — — Unconformity — — —Archaean Un-named metamorphics Schists and phyllites

Table 1. Lithostratigraphical chart of the Umrer Coalfield (after Raja Rao 1982).

Fig. 2. Map of the Umrer Coalfield showing the fossil localities: A, sample site from the top seam; B, sample site from the middle seam (afterRaja Rao 1982).

ALCHERINGA PERMIAN FLORA FROM INDIA 357

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Systematic palaeontologyOrder EQUISETALES

Equisetalean axes (Fig. 5A, B)

Description. Several well-preserved branched andunbranched axes measuring 54–92 mm long and 10–50 mm wide are available. Most have well-preservednodes and internodes. The internodal distance is 13–

40 mm, nodes are 0.7– 2.0 mm thick, alternatingridges and furrows are present on internodes; ridgesare 1–7 mm apart. Axes produce branches in apparentalternate arrangement; lateral branches are 18–35 mmlong and 7–10 mm wide; longitudinal intercalatedridges and furrows are present on the lateral branchinternodes; the ridges are 0.4 mm apart.

Occurrence. Umrer OCP (middle seam) and Makard-hokra OCP (top seam).

Fig. 3. Lithological log of Makardhokra OCP and Umrer OCP, Umrer Coalfield showing the top and middle seams.


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Material. Eight specimens (BSIP museum nos 39725,39729, 39730, 39714b, 37924, 39723c, 39692D, 39694).

Order GLOSSOPTERIDALES

Gangamopteris McCoy, 1847

Type species. Gangamopteris angustifolia McCoy,1847

Gangamopteris clarkeana Feistmantel, 1890 (Fig. 5C, D)

Description. The single specimen (BSIP museumnumber 39695) consists of the middle part of a leafand measures 113 long6 50 mm wide. The margin isentire. A midrib is absent but several subparallel,distinct veins occur along the midline (Fig. 5C), thendiverge and radiate at 258 across the lamina, andanastomose to form 4.5–7 mm6 0.5–0.7 mm, oblongmeshes. Vein density is 14–21 per 10 mm.

Comparison. This leaf is consistent in venation patternwith Gangamopteris clarkeana Feistmantel as figuredby Feistmantel (1890, pl. 20, fig. 3), Maithy (1965, pl.4, fig. 25) and Chandra & Srivastava (1982, pl. 1, figs2, 3, pl. 2, fig. 15).

Occurrence. Umrer OCP (middle seam).

Glossopteris Brongniart, 1828

Type species. Glossopteris browniana Brongniart,1828.

Glossopteris arberi Srivastava, 1957 (Fig. 5E, F)

Description. Leaves longer than broad, measuring 59–161 long and 31–36 mm wide, lorate, apex obtuse,

base narrow, margin entire, midrib 1–2 mm wide,thinning distally, striate; secondary veins are denseand arise at acute angles from the midrib, run straightfor a moderate distance then arch slightly to meet themargin at 708 after dichotomizing and anastomosingseveral times (Fig. 5F); meshes are 5–86 0.3–0.5 mm,elongate, narrow and arcuate near the midrib anduniformly wide and trapeziform elsewhere. The veindensity is 16–25 per 10 mm.

Comparison. The length:width ratio, nature of themidrib and venation pattern of the leaves areconsistent with Glossopteris arberi as figured bySrivastava (1957, pl. 9, fig. 57), Chandra & Surange(1979, pl. 7, figs 4, 7, pl. 8, fig. 6, pl. 17, fig. 2),Chandra & Prasad (1981, pl. 4, fig. 1), Chandra &Singh (1992, pl. 7, fig. 3, pl. 8, fig. 2), Singh et al.(2006b, pl. 2, fig. 3) and Tewari (2007, pl. 1, fig. 6, pl.4, figs 3, 4).

Occurrence. Makardhokra OCP (top seam), UmrerOCP (middle seam).

Material. Three specimens (BSIP museum nos 39699,39718a, 39721).

Glossopteris browniana Brongniart, 1828 (Fig. 5G–J)

Description. One complete leaf and a fragmentarymiddle part of another leaf are preserved. The completeleaf is 101 mm long and 28 mm wide, with an entiremargin, and the midrib is striate (Fig. 5H), 2.8 mmwide, with secondary veins arising at acute angles,arching slightly to meet the margin at 508 after dicho-tomizing and anastomosing; meshes are relativelynarrow and deltoid near the midrib but broad, typi-cally pentagonal or hexagonal, or rarely biconvex else-where (Fig. 5J); the vein density is 15–18 per 10 mmnearmidrib and 22–27 per 10 mm near the margin.

Comparison. The leaves are consistent in shape,nature of the apex, base and venation pattern withGlossopteris browniana Brongniart as figured byFeistmantel (1890, pl. 13, fig. 1, pl. 16, figs 3, 4, pl.17, figs 1, 3–5, 7, pl. 20, fig. 2), Seward (1897, pl.21, fig. 1), Saksena (1963, pl. 1, fig. 6), Maithy(1965, pl. 5, fig. 32), Rigby (1966, pl. 34, fig. 38, pl.35, fig. 48), Rigby et al. (1980, figs 7, 8), Singhet al. (2006a, pl. 3, fig. 7) and Tewari (2007, pl. 1,fig. 1, pl. 5, fig. 3, pl. 6, fig. 3, pl. 7, fig. 7, pl. 9,fig. 1). Despite confident records of this species (inits strict definition) being documented only fromeastern Australia (McLoughlin 1994a), someauthors (e.g. Arber 1905) have applied a broadercircumscription of the taxon. Following this latterinterpretation herein, G. browniana has beenreported throughout Gondwana. Small, ellipticaldepressions scattered across the inner part of the

Fig. 4. Pie diagram showing the percentages of various plants in theBarakar Formation of the Umrer Coalfield.


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lamina of one leaf (Fig. 5G, H) may representarthropod oviposition scars (cf. Prevec et al.2009, McLoughlin 2011, Srivastava & Agnihotri2011).

Occurrence. Makardhokra OCP (top seam).

Material. Two specimens (BSIP museum nos 39713,39718b).


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Glossopteris communis Feistmantel, 1876 (Fig. 5K, L)

Description. Numerous apical, middle and basalportions of leaves are preserved; a few are complete.Leaves elliptical, apex obtuse, base narrow, marginentire, 52–180 long and 19–50 mm wide; midrib flat,striate, 1–3 mm wide, gradually thinning distally,secondary veins arising at acute angles from midrib,arching gracefully to meet the margin at 508 (Fig. 5L)after dichotomizing and anastomosing 2–3 times;meshes 4–76 0.3–0.4 mm, arcuate near the midrib,narrow, elongate, trapeziform elsewhere; vein densityis 20–26 per 10 mm.

Comparison. The leaves are consistent in venationpattern with G. communis as figured by Feistmantel(1879, pl. 17, figs 1, 2), Feistmantel (1882, pl. 21, figs13, 14), Feistmantel (1890, pl. 17, figs 2, 6), Chandra& Surange (1979, pl. 1, figs 2, 3), Pant & Gupta (1968,pl. 26, figs 44–49, text-fig. 14), Chandra & Srivastava(1982, pl. 4, fig. 29), Maheshwari & Tewari (1992, pl.1, fig. 2), Singh et al. (2006a, pl. 4, fig. 3) and Tewari(2008, pl. 2, fig. 7).

Occurrence: Makardhokra OCP (top seam) andUmrer OCP (middle seam).

Material. Twenty-five specimens (BSIP museum nos39727, 39708, 39727B, 39720, 39726B, 39723B, 39728,39716, 39703A, 39688, 39739, 39741, 39743, 39683,39742, 39740A, 39740B, 39719, 39725A, 39725B,39725C, 39725E, 39725 F, 39729B, 39692D).

Glossopteris conspicua Feistmantel, 1880 (Fig. 6A, B)

Description. The middle portion of a single incompleteleaf (BSIP museum no. 39694) is preserved, measuring44 mm long and 15 mm wide; the margin is entire; themidrib is distinct, 2 mm wide, with prominentstriations (Fig. 6A); secondary veins arise at acuteangles from the midrib, run straight and acutely tomeet the margin at 488 after dichotomizing andanastomosing; meshes 3–56 0.3–0.6 mm, narrowand deltoid near the midrib but broad, polygonaland uniform throughout the remainder of the lamina(Fig. 6B); vein density is 19–27 per 10 mm.

Comparison. The fragmentary leaf is consistent inmidrib and venation pattern with Glossopteris con-

spicua Feistmantel as figured by Chandra & Surange(1979, pl. 5, fig. 5, pl. 7, fig. 1, pl. 21, fig. 6) and Tewari(2007, pl. 2, fig. 2).


Glossopteris damudica Feistmantel, 1879 (Fig. 6C, D)

Description. A single incomplete, proximal half of aleaf (BSIP Museum no. 39700) is preserved, measuring67 mm long and 40 mm wide. Its base is narrow (theextreme basal end is broken), the margin is entire, andmidrib stout, elevated, 4 mm wide, with strong long-itudinal striations. Secondary veins arise at acuteangles from the midrib, run straight and acutely tomeet the margin at 658 after dichotomizing andanastomosing several times (Fig. 6C); meshes aredeltoid, short and broad (5–66 0.8–1.1 mm) andpolygonal near the midrib, but narrower 7–86 0.4–0.6 mm elsewhere; the vein density is 11–15 per 10 mmnear the midrib and 22–26 per 10 mm near the margin.

Comparison. This leaf conforms in midrib andvenation pattern to Glossopteris damudica Feistmantelas figured by Chandra & Surange (1979, pl. 4, fig. 2,pl. 20, fig. 1, pl. 36, fig. 1).


Glossopteris indica Schimper, 1869 (Fig. 6E–H)

Description. Several complete leaves and variousapical, middle and basal fragments are preserved.Leaves oblanceolate, 67–160 mm long and 20–50 mmwide, base narrow attenuate, margin entire, midribstrong, persistent, 1–2 mm wide at base, thinningapically, secondary veins arising at acute angles frommidrib (Fig. 6H), arching slightly, forming gentlecurves to meet the margin at 38–408 after dichotomiz-ing and anastomosing 3–4 times; meshes short, broad,arcuate and 4–56 0.6–0.8 mm near the midrib, long,narrow and 6–86 0.3–0.5 mm elsewhere. The veindensity is 14–17 per 10 mm near midrib and 23–31 per10 mm near the margin.

Comparison. The leaves are consistent with Glossop-teris indica Schimper as illustrated by Chandra &Surange (1979, pl. 5, fig. 1, pl. 10, fig. 4, pl. 15, fig. 11,pl. 28, fig. 1, pl. 29, fig. 1), Maheshwari & Prakash

Fig. 5. Equisetalean axes and Glossopteris species from the Umrer Coalfield. Scale bar¼ 10 mm. A, Equisetalean axis, BSIP 39729(Makardhokra OCP- top seam); B, Equisetalean axis, BSIP 39730 (Makardhokra OCP-top seam); C, Gangamopteris clarkeana Feistmantel,BSIP 39695,61 (Umrer OCP-middle seam); D, Gangamopteris clarkeana Feistmantel, BSIP 39695,62.5 (Umrer OCP-middle seam); E,Glossopteris arberi Srivastava, BSIP 39718,61 (Makardhokra OCP- top seam); F, Glossopteris arberi Srivastava, BSIP 39718,64(Makardhokra OCP-top seam); G, Glossopteris browniana Brongniart with small elliptical depressions in the inner lamina possiblyrepresenting arthropod oviposition scars, BSIP 39713,61 (Makardhokra OCP-top seam); H, Glossopteris browniana Brongniart showingvenation details and enlargement of possible arthropod oviposition scars, BSIP 39713,63 (Makardhokra OCP-top seam); I, Glossopterisbrowniana Brongniart, BSIP 39736,62 (Makardhokra OCP-top seam); J, Glossopteris browniana Brongniart, BSIP 39736,64 (MakardhokraOCP-top seam); K, Glossopteris communis Feistmantel, BSIP 39727,61 (Makardhokra OCP-top seam); L, Glossopteris communisFeistmantel, BSIP 39727,64 (Makardhokra OCP-top seam).

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(1965, pl. 2, fig. 15), Chandra & Prasad (1981, pl. 2,fig. 12a, b) and Tewari & Srivastava (2000a, pl. 1, fig.4) in their shape, nature of the midrib and in venation

pattern. The leaves are also similar to those attributedto G. indica by Rigby et al. (1980, figs 38, 39), whichwere reassigned to G. indicoides by McLoughlin


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(1994b, pl. 1, figs 4, 5, 7–11) in having short, broadmeshes near the midrib and linear, narrow meshesnear the margin. However, in G. indicoides thesecondary veins intersect the margin at 60–808,whereas in the present leaves, the secondary veinsmeet the margin at 38–408.

Occurrence. Umrer OCP (middle seam) and Makard-hokra OCP (top seam).

Material. Eight specimens (BSIP Museum nos 39711a,39711b, 39712a, 39710a, 39710b, 39689, 39692,39737).

Glossopteris intermedia Feistmantel, 1880 (Fig. 6I, J)

Description. Only one specimen (BSIP Museum no.39685) of this species is present in the collection. Itconsists of the proximal half of a leaf with theproximal end broken. The leaf is narrow, 70 mm longand 18 mm wide, with an entire margin; midribdistinct, flat, striate, 2.8 mm wide (Fig. 6J); secondaryveins arising at acute angles from the midrib, archingslightly, then taking a straight course to intersect themargin at 378 after dichotomizing and anastomosingtwo times; meshes are 4–66 0.5–0.6 mm; arcuatenear the midrib, broad and uniform in size elsewhere;vein density is 13–17 per 10 mm.

Comparison. The leaf fragment matches the venationpattern ofGlossopteris intermediaFeistmantel as figuredby Chandra & Surange (1979, pl. 6, fig. 10, pl. 11, fig. 6,pl. 18, fig. 10, pl. 21, fig. 3, pl. 27, fig. 2, pl. 43, fig. 1).


Glossopteris longicaulis Feistmantel, 1879 (Fig. 6K, L)

Description. Only the proximal half of a leaf (BSIPMuseum no. 39714) is preserved, measuring 111 mmlong and 22 mm wide; base obtuse normal with longpetiole (Fig. 6L); margin entire; midrib broad distinct,flat, striate, occupying almost the entire width of themost proximal part of the blade and petiole, 5 mmwide in the petiolar region. Secondary veins are thinarising at acute angles from midrib, curving to meet

the margin at 408 after dichotomizing and anastomos-ing 2–3 times; meshes are 4–66 0.4–0.6 mm, arcuatenear the midrib, long and narrow elsewhere; veindensity is 14–19 per 10 mm.

Comparison. The leaf fragment matches the charac-terstics of the midrib, petiole and venation pattern ofGlossopteris longicaulis Feistmantel as illustrated byChandra & Surange (1979, pl. 1, fig. 4, pl. 15, fig. 13)and Singh et al. (1982, pl. 5, figs 31, 32, text-fig. 7f).Plumstead (1958, pl. 22, 23) described an ovuliferousfructification ‘Pluma longicaulis’ (¼Scutum sp. ofAnderson & Anderson 1985) from Gauteng, SouthAfrica attached to a leaf of G. longicaulis, which ismorphologically close to the leaf described here inbeing petiolate with similar shape and venationpattern. Only the proximal half of the lamina of theG. longicaulis leaf described by Plumstead (1958) ispreserved, and the venation is indistinct. The second-ary veins meet the margin at 708. The leaf describedhere resembles Plumstead’s leaf in the presence of along petiole; however, the secondary veins of thepresent leaf meet the margin at 408.


Glossopteris searsolensis Pant & Singh, 1974 (Fig. 6M,N)

Description. The single available specimen (BSIPMuseum no. 39697) represents the middle part of anarrow leaf, 69 mm long and 19 mm wide with anentire margin; midrib distinct, flat, striate, 1–2 mmwide with dense secondary veins arising at acuteangles, gradually curving, then passing straight to themargin at 428 after dichotomizing and anastomosingseveral times; meshes are 4–56 0.4–0.5 mm, arcuatenear the midrib, elongate and trapeziform elsewhere,2–3.56 0.2–0.3 mm, becoming shorter and narrowernear the margin (Fig. 6N). Vein density is 18–24 per10 mm.

Comparison. The leaf matches the venation pattern ofG. searsolensis Pant & Singh illustrated by Chandra &Surange (1979, pl. 23, figs 6, 12, pl. 47, fig. 1) andSingh et al. (2006b, pl. 3, fig. 5).

Fig. 6. Glossopteris species from the Umrer Coalfield. Scale bar¼ 10 mm. A, Glossopteris conspicua Feistmantel, BSIP 39694,62(Makardhokra OCP-top seam); B, Glossopteris conspicua Feistmantel, BSIP 39694,64 (Makardhokra OCP-top seam); C, Glossopterisdamudica Feistmantel, BSIP 39700,64 (Makardhokra OCP-top seam); D, Glossopteris damudica Feistmantel, BSIP 39700,61(Makardhokra OCP-top seam); E, Glossopteris indica Schimper, BSIP 39711B,61 (Makardhokra OCP-top seam); F, Glossopteris indicaSchimper, BSIP 39711A,61 (Makardhokra OCP-top seam); G, Glossopteris indica Schimper, BSIP 39712B,61 (Makardhokra OCP-topseam); H, Glossopteris indica Schimper, BSIP 39711B,64 (Makardhokra OCP-top seam); I, Glossopteris intermedia Feistmantel, BSIP39685,61 (Makardhokra OCP-top seam); J, Glossopteris intermedia Feistmantel, BSIP 39685,63 (Makardhokra OCP-top seam); K,Glossopteris longicaulis Feistmantel, BSIP 39714,63.5 (Makardhokra OCP-top seam); L, Glossopteris longicaulis Feistmantel, BSIP39714,61 (Makardhokra OCP-top seam); M, Glossopteris searsolensis Pant & Singh 1974, BSIP 39697A,61 (Umrer OCP-middle seam); N,Glossopteris searsolensis Pant & Singh 1974, BSIP 39697A,64 (Umrer OCP-middle seam); O, Glossopteris spathulata Pant & Singh, BSIP39689,61 (Umrer OCP-middle seam); P, Glossopteris spathulata Pant & Singh, BSIP 39689,64 (Umrer OCP-middle seam); Q, Glossopterisstenoneura Feistmantel, BSIP 39738,61 (Makardhokra OCP-top seam); R, Glossopteris stenoneura Feistmantel, BSIP 39738,64(Makardhokra OCP-top seam).

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Glossopteris spathulata Pant & Singh, 1971 (Fig. 6O, P)

Description. Leaves oblanceolate, incomplete, basenot preserved, broader towards the apex, measuring73–130 mm long and 37–39 mm wide; apex obtuse;


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base narrow; margin entire; midrib distinct, elevated,1 mm wide, persistent, narrowing towards the apex(Fig. 6O); secondary veins dense arising at acute anglesfrom the midrib, gradually curving to meet the marginat 568 after dichotomizing and anastomosing severaltimes (Fig. 6P); meshes 5–76 0.5–0.6 mm; arcuate nearmidrib, narrow, elongate, trapeziform elsewhere, moreor less uniform except near the margin where theybecome short, narrow and 2.5–46 0.2–0.4 mm. Veindensity is 20–27 per 10 mm.

Comparison. These leaves have the gross shape,venation pattern and length:width ratio of G. spathu-lata as illustrated by Pant & Singh (1971, pl. 10, fig.60), Chandra & Surange (1979, pl. 8, fig. 1, pl. 12, fig.5, pl. 17, fig. 7, pl. 18, fig. 1, pl. 27, fig. 1), Tewari &Srivastava (2000b, pl. 1, fig. 6) and Singh & Chandra(2000, pl. 1, fig. 5).


Material. Two specimens (BSIP Museum nos 39689a,39697b).

Glossopteris stenoneura Feistmantel, 1877 (Fig. 6Q, R)

Description. The leaves are incomplete: apical andbasal parts measuring 56–676 19–20 mm are pre-served. The gross shape was probably oblanceolate;apex obtuse; base narrow; margin entire; midrib flat,1.6–1.7 mm wide, evanescent; secondary veins arisingat acute angles from the midrib, curving to meet themargin at 408 after dichotomizing and anastomosing2–3 times; meshes 3–56 0.5–0.7 mm, arcuate near themidrib, 6–7.56 0.3–0.4 mm, narrow, elongate, trape-ziform elsewhere (Fig. 6Q). Vein density is 12–15 per10 mm near midrib and 20–24 per 10 mm nearmargin.

Comparison. These leaves have venation patternsmatching Glossopteris stenoneura Feistmantel asportrayed by Chandra & Surange (1979, pl. 1, fig. 7,8, pl. 15, fig. 8, pl. 17, figs 1, 4), Srivastava & Tewari(2001a, pl. 2, fig. 2), Tewari & Srivastava (2000a, pl. 1,fig. 3) and Tewari & Srivastava (2000b, pl. 1, fig. 2).

Occurrence. Makardhokra OCP (top seam), UmrerCoalfield (middle seam).

Material. Two specimens (BSIP Museum nos 39738,39693)

Glossopteris syaldiensis Chandra & Surange, 1979(Fig. 7A, B)

Description. Only one almost-complete specimen(BSIP Museum no. 39723) is available, measuring132 mm long and 29 mm wide. The leaf is lanceolate;base unavailable; apex acute; margin entire, midribdistinct, elevated, 3 mm wide, narrowing distally;secondary veins arise at acute angles from the midrib,recurve then continue straight to meet the marginobliquely at 388 after dichotomizing and anastomos-ing 3–4 times (Fig. 7B); meshes short, broad and 3.5–56 0.5–0.7 mm near the midrib, elongate, narrowand 6–76 0.3–0.4 mm elsewhere. Vein density is 20–28 per 10 mm.

Remarks. Chandra & Surange (1979) mentioned intheir diagnosis of this species that lateral veins meetat the margin at an angle of 908. However, in theirreconstruction of G. syaldiensis (pl. 43, fig. 4) theveins meet the margin at a lesser (oblique) angle,which is also the case in the Makardhokra leaf. Thenew leaves also have similar venation patterns torepresentatives of G. syaldiensis figured by Chandra& Surange (1979, pl. 2, fig. 1, pl. 15, fig. 5, pl. 43, fig.4), Tewari (2007, pl. 3, fig. 3, pl. 7, fig. 6) and Tewari(2008, pl. 3, figs 1, 5), hence, they are consideredconspecific.


Glossopteris tenuifolia Pant & Gupta, 1968 (Fig. 7C,D)

Description. Complete and incomplete leaves areavailable; the lamina is linear, lorate, 145–186 mmlong and 15–35 mm wide; apex acute; base attenuate;margin entire; midrib thin, persistent, 1–3 mm wide atthe base, gradually tapering distally, secondary veinsarising at acute angles from the midrib, curving tomeet the margin at 40–438 (Fig. 7C) after dichotomiz-ing and anastomosing 3–4 times; meshes arcuate, 3–56 0.5–0.6 mm near the midrib, long, narrow trape-ziform and 6–76 0.2–0.4 mm elsewhere. Vein densityis 18–26 per 10 mm.

Fig. 7. Fossil leaves and fructifications from the Umrer Coalfield. Scale bar¼ 10 mm. A, Glossopteris syaldiensis Chandra & Surange, BSIP39723,61 (Makardhokra OCP-top seam); B, Glossopteris syaldiensis Chandra & Surange, BSIP 39723,64 (Makardhokra OCP-top seam); C,Glossopteris tenuifolia Pant & Gupta, BSIP 39722,61 (Makardhokra OCP-top seam); D, Glossopteris tenuifolia Pant & Gupta, BSIP39722,64 (Makardhokra OCP-top seam); E, Glossopteris sp., BSIP 39709 (Makardhokra OCP-top seam),61; F, Glossopteris sp., BSIP39709,64 (Makardhokra OCP-top seam); G. Glossopteris sp., BSIP 39684,61 (Makardhokra OCP-top seam); H, Scutum sp. cf. S. lesliiPlumstead, BSIP 39682,61 (Umrer OCP-middle seam); I, Noeggerathiopsis hislopii Feistmantel, BSIP 39715A,61 (Makardhokra OCP-topseam); J, Noeggerathiopsis hislopii Feistmantel BSIP 39724,61 (Makardhokra OCP-top seam); K, Noeggerathiopsis hislopii Feistmantel BSIP39690A,61 (Makardhokra OCP-top seam); L, Noeggerathiopsis hislopii Feistmantel, BSIP 39715A,64 (Makardhokra OCP-top seam); M,Noeggerathiopsis hislopii Feistmantel BSIP 39724,64 (Makardhokra OCP-top seam); N, Noeggerathiopsis hislopii Feistmantel BSIP39690A,64 (Makardhokra OCP-top seam).

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Remarks. These leaves match the shape, apex, baseand venation characters of G. tenuifolia as portrayedby Pant & Gupta (1968, pl. 21, fig. 15) andChandra & Surange (1979, pl. 6, fig. 1, pl. 15, fig.10, pl. 17, fig. 10, pl. 42, figs 1, 6). Chandra &Surange (1979) described the base of G. tenuifolia asobtuse–cuneate, but in some of their leaves (pl. 6,fig. 1, pl. 15, fig. 10, pl. 42, figs 1, 6) the bases areattenuate as in the Makardhokra leaves. The newleaves are also similar to examples of G. tenuifoliadescribed by Chandra & Prasad (1981, pl. 3, figs 27,28), Singh et al. (2006a, pl. 1, fig. 4) and Tewari(2007, pl. 2, fig. 4, 5, pl. 4, fig. 1).


Material. Two specimens (BSIP Museum nos 39722A,39711C).

Glossopteris sp. (Fig. 7E–G)

Description. Several middle and apical fragments ofleaves are present in the collection measuring 50–87 mm long and 28–37 mm wide. The apex isapparently acute; margin entire; midrib thin, flat,striate, persistent, 0.6–2 mm wide, gradually taperingdistally; secondary veins arise at acute angles from themidrib and pass straight to meet the margin at 25–288after dichotomizing and anastomosing 3–4 times (Fig.7F); meshes are arcuate, 3–56 0.4–0.6 mm near themidrib, long, narrow, trapeziform and 5.5–76 0.2–0.3 mm elsewhere. The vein density is 18–27 per10 mm.

Remarks. The venation of these leaves differs fromthose of known Glossopteris species. However, werefrain from erecting a new species, as the availableleaves are incomplete.


Material. Three specimens (BSIP Museum nos 39696,39684, 39709).

Scutum Plumstead, 1952

Type species. Scutum leslii Plumstead, 1952.

Scutum sp. cf. S. leslii Plumstead, 1952 (Fig. 7H)

Description. Fructifications roughly circular 15–27 mm long and 7–23 mm wide, with a broad,fluted, flap-like wing 2–4 mm wide. The marginalwing is dentate and bears transverse striations 1–2 mm apart. The base of the receptacle rests on aribbed (ribs 0.07–1 mm wide), 5–12 mm long and 3–

4 mm wide stalk. The total number of seed scarsper receptacle ranges from 25 to 47; scars arecircular to oval, 10–256 5–15 mm, arranged inroughly horizontal rows, the scars of one rowalternating with those of the adjacent row; seedscars are most dense in the centre of the receptacleand more widely spaced apically.

Comparison. In gross shape, the presence of a broadmarginal dentate wing, ribbed stalk and variablenumber of seed scars, the fructifications are similarto Scutum leslii Plumstead from South Africa, butthe latter tends to have an ovate receptacle and lessrobust ridges between the seed scars (Plumstead 1952,pl. 44, figs 2, 4, Plumstead 1956, pl. 3, fig. 3; Prevec2011).


Material. Three specimens (BSIP Museum nos39726a, 39682, 39687).

Order CORDAITALES

Noeggerathiopsis Feistmantel, 1879

Type species. Noeggerathiopsis hislopii (Bunbury)Feistmantel, 1879.

Noeggerathiopsis hislopii (Bunbury) Feistmantel, 1879(Fig. 7I–N)

Description. Several specimens, both complete andfragmentary are present in the collection. The leavesare lanceolate–spathulate, 56–164 mm long and 15–30 mm wide; apex obtuse; base tapering, narrow;margin entire (Fig. 7J, K); several parallel veinsarise from the base, run straight and bifurcatefrequently along their course (Fig. 7M, N); adjacentveins separated by ca 0.5 mm in the basal region.

Remarks. These leaves match the shape and venationpattern of Noeggerathiopsis hislopii illustrated byFeistmantel (1879, pl. 12, fig. 5, pl. 19, figs 1–6, pl.20, fig. 1). There are no obvious stomatal groovesdeveloped between veins like those evident onpermineralized Noeggerathiopsis leaves from theMiddle Permian of Antarctica (McLoughlin & Drin-nan 1996).

Occurrence. Makardhokra OCP (top seam) andUmrer OCP (middle seam).

Material. Twenty specimens (BSIP Museum nos39717, 39725e, 39715a, 39692b, 39690a, 39691,39729, 39722b, 39724a, 39724b, 39724c, 39682b,


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39682c, 39682d, 39682e, 39722c, 39689b, 39697a,39697b, 39712b).

Discussion

Comparison of the flora of the Umrer Coalfield withthose of other Gondwanan regions

The flora of the Umrer Coalfield has modestsimilarities to the Early Permian floras of SouthAfrica, Argentina, Brazil and Antarctica. In particu-lar, it is most similar to the Early Permian flora fromthe Vryheid Formation, Vereeniging, South Africa, inhaving Scutum (Plumstead 1952), Noeggerathiopsishislopii, Gangamopteris clarkeana, Glossopteris damu-dica, G. indica, G. browniana and G. conspicua (leavesin attachment with fructifications; Anderson &Anderson 1985). The Early Permian flora from theLuwumbu Coal Formation (‘Mpwashi carbonaceousmember’; Lacey & Smith 1970), Zambia and theWankie flora of Zimbabwe (Lacey & Huard-Moine1966) resemble the Umrer Coalfield assemblage in thepresence of Glossopteris browniana, G. indica, Glos-sopteris sp., Noeggerathiopsis hislopii and equisetaleanaxes. However, the Wankie flora differs in havingsome Euramerican elements, such as Sphenophyllumthonii, Sphenophyllum oblongifolium and Pecopterissp., mixed with typical southern genera, such asCyclodendron, Vertebraria and Ottokaria (Lacey &Huard-Moine 1966). The flora from the NuevaLubecka Series of Chubut Province (Archangelsky &Arrondo 1965) and from the ‘Lubeckense A’ and‘Lubeckense B’ intervals, Argentina (Archangelsky &Arrondo 1975), are also similar to the flora of theUmrer Coalfield in reputedly having Glossopterisindica, Glossopteris browniana and Glossopteris reti-fera. However, other taxa not represented in theUmrer Coalfield, such as Sphenophyllum, Pecopteris,Sphenopteris, Nothorhacopteris, Botrychiopsis, Bara-karia, Arberia and Ginkgophyllum, are present in thoseArgentinean floras. The flora of the Rio BonitoFormation, Guata Subgroup, Tubarao Group, Brazil(Rigby 1972, Archangelsky & Arrondo 1975) is verysimilar to the assemblage studied herein based on theputative presence of Glossopteris browniana, G. indica,G. communis, G. damudica and Noeggerathiopsishislopii. The floral assemblages from the Weller CoalMeasures (Bose et al. 1990) and the Theron Moun-tains (Lacey & Lucas 1981) of mid-Permian age(Collinson et al. 1994), Antarctica, also share severalcommon species of Glossopteris, viz., G. indica, G.communis, G. browniana and G. conspicua. ThePermian flora of the Golondrina Series of Bajo de laLeona, Patagonia (Archangelsky 1958), formerlydescribed as Early Permian but now considered tobe Late Permian in age (Melchor & Cesari 1997)reputedly shares Glossopteris damudica, G. browniana,G. indica and G. conspicua but it differs in having

Sphenophyllum, Annularia, Pecopteris, Sphenopterisand Megistophyllum.

Composition of the floraIntegration of the material with previous fossilrecords from the Umrer Coalfield, Wardha Basin(Sundaram & Nandi 1984; Table 2), reveals that a richand diverse flora comprising Sphenophyllales, Equi-setales, Glossopteridales, Cordaitales and Coniferalesexisted in the area during deposition of the BarakarFormation. Furthermore, the recent records of mega-spores from the Barakar Formation of the UmrerOpen Cast Project (Tewari et al. 2004) and recovery ofmegaspores from the Makardhokra Open CastProject (during maceration of rock samples) attest toan abundance of lycophytes not yet recognized in themacroflora. The flora is dominated by the Glossop-teridales (Fig. 4), which is represented by 17 species ofGlossopteris (considering both the earlier records andthe present study) and the fructification Scutum sp. cf.S. leslii. One species each of Sphenophyllales (Schi-zoneura gondwanensis), Equisetales (Phyllotheca in-dica), Cordaitales (Noeggerathiopsis hislopii) andConiferales (Buriadia sewardii) are preserved. Ofthese, Schizoneura gondwanensis, Phyllotheca indica,Gangamopteris clarkeana, Glossopteris communis, G.spathulata, G. stenoneura and Noeggerathiopsis hislopiiare long-ranging taxa in the Indian Permian succes-sions (Lele 1976). They appear in the TalchirFormation (early Sakmarian) and persist up to theRaniganj Formation (Lopingian). Other species suchas Glossopteris arberi, G. browniana, G. conspicua, G.searsolensis and G. syaldiensis, appear in the BarakarFormation and persist in overlying units to the top ofthe Permian. The remaining species of Glossopterishave inconsistent stratigraphic distributions (Table 2).Prior to this work, Gangamopteris clarkeana wasknown only from the Talchir and Karharbari forma-tions. Sundaram & Nandi (1984) recorded Buriadiasewardii and Samaropsis milleri from the BarakarFormation of the Umrer Coalfield, extending therange of these taxa from the Karharbari Formation ofthe Damodar Basin (Lakhanpal et al. 1976). Scutumsp. cf. S. leslii is here recorded for the first time fromthe Barakar Formation of the Wardha Basin.

Although the macrofloral assemblage is generallysimilar to the flora of the Barakar Formation of theDamodar Basin (Srivastava 1992, Srivastava &Tewari 1996, Tewari & Srivastava 1996), the Maha-nadi Basin (Singh & Chandra 1995, 1996, Singh et al.2006a, 2006b, 2006c, 2007), the South Rewa Gond-wana Basin (Feistmantel 1882) and the RajmahalBasin (Maheshwari & Prakash 1965), it is unique in itspossession of elements typical of the underlyingKarharbari Formation, viz., Gangamopteris clarkea-na, Buriadia sewardii and Samaropsis milleri, the


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Damodar

Satpura

Wardha/G

odavari

Mahanadi

South

Rew

aGondwana

Rajm

ahal

EP

MP

LP

LP/ET

EP

MP

LP

EP

MP

LP

LP/ET

EP

LP

EP

LP

LT

EP

LP

Taxon/form

ation

Talchir

Karharbari

Barakar

Ironstone

Raniganj

Panchet

Talchir

Barakar

Motur

Bijori

Talchir

Barakar

Barren

Measures

Raniganj

Kamthi

Talchir

Karharbari

Barakar

Raniganj/

Kamthi

Talchir

Karharbari

Barakar

Pali

Tiki{

Talchir

Barakar

Pachchwara

Schizoneura

gondwanensis{

**

**

**

**

**

**

**

*

Phyllothecaindica{

**

**

**

**

Equisetaleanaxes

**

**

**

**

**

**

**

**

*Gangamopteris

clarkeana

**

**

**

*

Gangamopteris

cyclopteroides{

**

**

**

**

**

**

**

Glossopterisarberi

**

**

*Glossopteris

browniana

**

**

**

**

**

**

**

*

Glossopteris

communis

**

**

**

**

**

**

**

**

*

Glossopteris

conspicua

**

**

**

**

**

**

Glossopteris

damudica

**

**

**

**

**

**

*

Glossopterisindica

**

**

**

**

**

**

**

**

**

*Glossopteris

interm

edia

**

**

**

**

*

Glossopteris

longicaulis

**

**

**

*

Glossopteris

searsolensis

**

**

**

Glossopteris

spathulata

**

**

**

**

*

Glossopteris

stenoneura

**

**

**

**

*

Glossopteris

syaldiensis

**

**

**

Glossopteris

tenuifolia

**

**

**

**

*

Glossopterissp.

*Scutum

sp.

cf.S.leslii

**

Noeggerathiopsis

hislopii

**

**

**

**

**

**

**

*

Buriadia

sewardii{

**

**

**

Table

2.Distributionofplantfossiltaxarecorded

from

theBarakarForm

ationofUmrerCoalfield

inother

Permian–Triassic

basinsofIndia.EP¼EarlyPermian,MP¼

Middle

Permian,LP¼Late

Permian,ET¼EarlyTriassic,LT¼Late

Triassic.{R

ecordsfrom

theTikiForm

ationandother

Triassic

unitsin

India

havenotbeensubstantiatedbytheco-

preservationofVertebrariaorglossopteridfructifications;thustheleaves

mayrepresentmorphologicallysimilargenera,such

asGontriglossa.{R

ecordsfrom

theUmrerCoalfield

by

previousauthors.


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abundance of Noeggerathiopsis hislopii leaves and thepresence of Scutum sp. cf. S. leslii, in addition toseveral Glossopteris species recorded from the youngerPermian units of India. Collectively, the fossil datafavour an Artinskian–Kungurian age for the BarakarFormation, although there are few strongly age-diagnostic taxa.

AcknowledgementsThe authors thank Dr Naresh C. Mehrotra, Director,Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany (BSIP),Lucknow, India, for extending the necessary facilitiesto carry out this research work, and to Dr NilayGovind Srivastava Technical Assistant-D, BirbalSahni Institute of Palaeobotany, for help in thepreparation of figures. One of the authors (RT) isthankful to Dr Alok K. Raina, SuperintendingGeologist, Western Coalfileds Limited, Nagpur, forproviding field data, to Mr A.K. Singh, DeputyGeneral Manager of Umrer Area, for cooperationextended during collection of fossils, and to DrNagaraj, Retired Mining Geologist, Indian Bureauof Mines, Nagpur, for help during the field excursion.The authors also thank Dr Stephen McLoughlin andtwo anonymous reviewers, for critically reading themanuscript and providing constructive suggestions.

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permous (Araucariaceae) wood from the Kamthi Formation,Wardha Valley Coalfield. Gondwana Geological Magazine 22,103–107.

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ARBER, E.A.N., 1905. Catalogue of the Fossil Plants of theGlossopteris Flora in the Department of Geology, BritishMuseum (Natural History), British Museum (Natural History),London, lxxivþ 255 pp., 8 pl.

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BAJPAI, U. & SINGH, K.J., 1994. Indian Gondwana AnnotatedSynopsis III. Permian Megaplants—2, Birbal Sahni Instituteof Palaeobotany, Lucknow, 82 pp.

BOSE, M.N., TAYLOR, E.L. & TAYLOR, T.N., 1990. Gondwana florasof India and Antarctica—A survey and appraisal. In AntarcticPaleobiology—Its Role in the Reconstruction of Gondwana.TAYLOR, T.N. & TAYLOR, E.L., eds, Springer, New York, 118–148.

BRONGNIART, A., 1828. Histoire des vegetaux fossils ou recherchesbotaniques et geologiques sur les vegetaux renfermes dans lesdiverse couches du globe. Prodomus d’une histoire des vegetauxfossils 1, Dufour & D’ Ocagne, Paris, 488 pp.

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An Early Permian Glossopteris flora from the Umrer Coalfield, Wardha Basin, Maharashtra, India

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