A petrified fern sporangium from the British Carboniferous

24 3 Thu, 01/01/1981 - 12:00 July 483 492

GOOD, C. W. 1981. A petrified fern sporangium from the British Carboniferous. Palaeontology, 24, 3, 483–492.

Charles W. Good Small annulate sporangia borne abaxially on pinnules attached to Psalixochlaena cylindrica foliar members are. described from coal ball specimens collected near Burnley. The Botryopteris-like nature of these Psalixochlaena sporangia and their small spiny triangular-shaped spores as seen in polar view, indicate that the genus Psalixochlaena should now be considered a member of the Botryopteridaceae. Psalixochlaena sporangia are quite unlike those of the Botryopteris type species, B. forensis. Thus plants previously placed in the genus Botryopteris which are thought to have Psalixochlaena-like sporangia are transferred to Psalixochlaena. The Palaeontological Association (Free Access)