Sandrewia, n. gen., a problematical plant from the Lower Permian of Texas and Kansas

Sandrewia, n. gen., monotypified by S. texana, n. sp., is a plant from Lower Permian beds of north-central Texas and east-central Kansas. It is characterized by stout axes with spirally disposed, laxly inserted, petiolate leaves; the laminae are broadly flabelliform with coarse, open venation. The leaves are reminiscent of the vojnovskyalean Nephropsis, of the Permian Petchora Basin, U.S.S.R., but biologic relationships are only speculative because of limited material. However, leaf characteristics render Sandrewia easily identifiable. Its presently limited stratigraphic range, along with floristic associations, indicates it may be a useful guide fossil and supports the author's beliefs regarding important times and places in Paleozoic plant evolution.