Gondwana Flora:

The Gondwana time for India, ranges from the Upper- Carboniferous to Lower-Cretaceous. The
gymnosperms and pteridophytes were the predominant flora in the Gondwana time. These were
vascular plants.

In India, the Gondwana rocks are characterised by the presence of Glossopteris flora. This flora
is said to have been evolved from those plants which could survive the permocarboniferous
glaciation.

According to D. N. Wadia, there is a correspondence of the three types of Gondwana flora with
that of the three sudivisions of Gondwanaland.

They are;

(a) Glossopteris flora : Low Gondwana (Lower-Triassic)

(b) Dicroidium (Thinnfeldia) : Mid-Gondwana (Lower-Jurassic).

(c) Ptilophylluai flora : Up - Gondwana (Low-Cretaceous).

Glossopteris flora / low gondwana flora

They include plant-fossils like glassopteris, gangamopteris, vertebraria, schizoneuia,

noeggerathiopsis, gondwani- dium, buridia phyllotheca etc.

The glossopteris, gangamopteris, vartebraria are all pterido- sperms. They are leaf genera.

Glossopteris is represented by fronds. (A leaf which bears fructification is a frond). Here mid-rib
is well marked and there is reticulate venation. Leaf is contracted at the base.

Gangamopteris is similar to glossopteris but is without any mid-rib.

Vertebraria is thought to be the stem of glossoptris (knows a& rhizome).

The important plants are as follows:

1. Pteridosperms:

Glossopteris, gangamopteris, vertebraria.

2. Corditales:

Noeggerathiopsis (leaf), dadoxylon (stem).

3. Equisetales:

Schizoneura, phyllotheca.

4. Sphenophyllales:

Sphenophyllum.

5. Cycadophyta:

Taeniopteris.

Dicroidium / Mid-Gondwana flora

The common flora is thinnfeldia. It occurs abundantly in the northern continents and dicroidium
in southern continents. Thinnfeldia flora indicates lower jurassic age and Dicroidium flora
indicates lower triassic age.

Ptilophyllum flora / up gondwana flora

It is dominated by the cycads and the filicales. Here the pteridosperms are of no importance,
while the conifers appear to have attained some amount of development.

Cycadophytes:

Bennettitales, Ptillophyllum, Pterophyllum, Dictyozomites, Otozamites (all leaves)

Williamsonia (flower), Bucklandia (stems).

Fern:

Cladophlebis, Marattiopsis, Sphenopteris.

Conifers:

Brachyphyllum, Elatocladus, conites.

Equisetales:

Equisetitias.

Lycopodiales:

Lycopodites.

The gymnosperms and the cycads of the mesozoic era forming the Rajmahal flora,disappeared
gradually and during the cretaceous flowering plants began to appear on the surface of the globe.

Contemporary flora

The contemporary floras of the world during the Gondwana time are as:

(i) The Eur-American Flora:

Best known in U.S.A., Europe, Iran, Turkey, and contain lepidodendron, neuropteris, pecopteris,
sigillaria ere.

(ii) The Cathaysian flora:

The Gigantopteris flora extended to Korea and North China, and southwards into Indochina,
Siam, Sumatra and it also occupied north-America and Taxas.

(iii) The Angaraland flora:

From Ural Mountains eastwards to Pacific and from north of Korea to Bering Strait and to south
it extended to Mongolia and almost down to Pamear Region.

These floras are contemporaneous with glossopteris flora.