Glossopteris indica

views updated

Glossopteris indica An extinct plant, the last species referred to its genus and to the family Glossopteridales, which is known from the Trias of India. Glossopteris is characterized by a leaf with a fairly well defined midrib and a reticulate venation. The Permian glacial deposits of S. Africa, Australia, S. America, and Antarctica are succeeded by beds containing a flora very different from that of N. America and Europe. The flora of the south grew in a cold, wet climate, while that of the north existed under warm conditions. Plants with elongate, tongue-shaped leaves dominated the southern flora, of which the genera Glossopteris and Gangamopteris are among the best known. Of these two, the genus Glossopteris gives its name to the flora.