Aspects of Romanian Early Jurassic palaeobotany and palynology. Part II. Anew species of Pachypteris from Cristian

The Lower Jurassic (Sinemurian) deposits of Cristian (Brasov County, Romani a) contain a well-preserved land flora. Pachypteris gradinarui n.sp., a new species of seed fern foliage belonging to the Corystospermales, is describ ed, figured and analysed. The species has a bipinnate, petioled frond; seco ndary rachises inserted on the upper side of the primary rachis; rounded, o ccasionally lobed pinnules without marked abaxial thickening or folding. Th e material is compared with other Pachypteris species, and with Cycadopteri s, a related genus characterised by marginal (cuticular) thickening and fol ding, as it presents transitional characters between the two genera. (C) 20 00 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.