Glossopteris Leaf Structure and Vegetative Stem Affinities

舌羊齿是一个分布广泛的化石植物类群 在南部大陆。 古植物学家研究了 这种植物的详细遗骸，但从来没有带来 把对树叶、种子和木材的不同观察结合在一起， 解剖学 凯瑟琳·皮格博士已经找到了 其中保存了植物个体的不同部分 在协会。 对这些化石的仔细研究可能会揭示 舌羊齿植物的整体解剖 重建舌羊齿属物种的解剖结构 广泛的影响。 除了澄清混乱的分类和 分离的植物部分的分类，这项研究将 记录了茎叶连接的性质， 个别叶子的系统。 这些解剖特征是 这对我们理解这一重要的植物群至关重要， 将为我们提供一个新的窗口， 裸子植物和开花植物的起源。

Glossopteris is a fossil plant group distributed widely among the southern continents. Paleobotanists have studied the remains of this plant genus in detail, but have never brought together the disparate observations of leaves, seeds, and wood anatomy. Dr. Kathleen Pigg has located mineralized specimens wherein different parts of individual plants have been preserved in association. Careful study of these fossils may illuminate the anatomy of the Glossopteris plant as a whole. Reconstructing the anatomy of Glossopteris species will have wide impact. In addition to clarifying the confused taxonomy and classification of disassociated plant parts, this research will document the nature of stem-leaf connections, and the vein systems of individual leaves. These anatomical features are critical to our understanding of this important plant group, and will offer a new window into its place in the evolution of gymnosperms and the origin of flowering plants.