Middle Triassic lycopsid flora of South China and its palaeoecological significance

Abstract

In recent years, a flora characterized by Lycopsida has been found from the Middle Triassic Badong Formation in Yangtze Gorge area, China, and may be subdivided into two plant assemblages, i.e., Anisian, Pleuromeia, marginulata-Annalepis sangzhiensis assemblage and Ladinian Annalepislatiloba-Scytophyllum assemblage. Of them, the former assemblage, containing 18 genera and 30 species, is one of the typical floras of the tidal flat in the world during Anisian. In addition, the character and ecology of the Anisian plant assemblage are emphatically discussed in this paper.