Araucarioxylon kumarpurensis, a new gymnospermous wood from the Upper Permian of West Bengal

Abstract

The new species is identified after a study of ground thin sections and cellulose acetate paper peels prepared from a number of petrified wood pieces collected from Coal Seam IX, Raniganj Coalfield. The woods are mostly limonitic and usually very much crushed; however, at places, they show good preservation. The secondary xylem shows distinct annual rings, mostly uniseriate xylem rays and 1-2 seriate araucaroid pits on the radial walls of tracheids and 2-8 cupressoid pits in its cross-fields. The new species closely compares with Dadoxylon bengalense Holden which, however, is easily distinguished by a “mixed” type of radial pitting.