Seed-bearing Ottokaria-like Fructifications from India

Abstract

ALTHOUGH Plumstead^1–5 has described a number of male, female or bisexual fructifications obviously attached to fertile leaves of Glossopteris, Gangamopteris and Palaeovittaria, not a single specimen among them shows clearly determinable seeds or sporangia. Glossopteris-like fertile leaves, called Lidgettonia⁶, were found closely associated with bodies which appear to be very similar to undoubted seeds and sporangia described by Pant⁷ and Pant and Nautiyal⁸. Nevertheless, no one has so far reported any indubitable seeds or sporangia actually borne on attached fructifications of Glossopteris. Pant⁷ has, however, described Arberiella-type sporangia attached to certain disks which are associated with Glossopteris leaves but, so far, seeds have not been found attached even on isolated fructifications occurring in association with Glossopteris. The present seed-bearing Ottokaria-like fructifications from the Lower Gondwanas of Bihar are therefore of extraordinary interest.