Fossil flora of Middle Jurassic Grojec clays
(southern Poland). Raciborski’s original material
reinvestigated and supplemented.
II. Pteridophyta. Osmundales
1 | W. Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences, Lubicz 46, 31-512 Kraków, Poland |
Online publication date: 2016-12-13
Publication date: 2016-12-13
Acta Palaeobotanica 2016; 56(2): 183–221
ABSTRACT
In the second part of the series dealing with the flora of the Grojec clays (Poland, Middle Jurassic),
macroremains of Osmundales are introduced. The re-examined and supplemented material originates from three
collections: specimens collected and described in Polish by Raciborski in 1894; specimens preliminarily described
by Stur (1888), housed at the Geological Survey of Austria; and Raciborski’s still-unpublished material stored at
the Institute of Botany of the Jagiellonian University. So far, 15 taxa of Cladophlebis have been described from
the Osmundales of Grojec clays, and two species of Todites (Todea) and Osmundopsis (Osmunda) sturii. Detailed
observations indicate that a large part of the material (12 taxa described by Raciborski) should be assigned to three
widespread Jurassic species: Cladophlebis denticulata, C. haiburnensis, and C. roessertii. Cladophlebis aurita and
C. bartonecii, created by Raciborski, should be retained. The occurrence of sterile and fertile fronds of Todites williamsonii
(originally described as Todea williamsonis, Cladophlebis whitbiensis, and Cladophlebis solida) is confirmed
for Grojec. Two species described by Raciborski (1894) required a change of generic names – Osmundopsis
(Osmunda) sturii and Todites (Todea) princeps. This paper provides the taxonomical descriptions and considers the
palaeoecology of 5 Cladophlebis species (C. aurita, C. denticulata, C. haiburnensis, C. roessertii, C. bartonecii) and
other osmundaceous ferns such as Osmundopsis sturii, Todites williamsonii, and T. princeps.