Question

Fossils of Williamsonia were first discovered by
(A) Williamson
(B) Seward
(C) Birbal sahani
(D) Kashyap

Answer 1

Hint: Williamsonia belonged to the family Williamsoniaceae of Bennettitales. It has been accounted that these are present in the Upper Triassic period yet were more plentiful in Jurassic. The flowers of the williamsonia was the unisexual that contain either male or female flower.

Complete answer:
As the name of the plant implies, this was found by Williamson in the year $1870$ however has now been named as Williamsonia. But he named this plant as Zamia gigas. But it was extinct and its fossils were found by the Birbal sahni in the rajmahal hills. Williamsonia looked like Cycas in appearance, and the most popular species of the Williamsonia was W. sewardiana. The leaves of W. sewardiana resembled that of Ptilophyllum.

The plant had an upstanding, stretched and bold stem secured by diligent leaf bases. The leaves of the williamsonia sewardiana resemble the pinnately compound leaves. The shape, size and course of the williamsonia are of taxonomic significance. He saw that leaves in Williamsoniaceae show syndetocheilic stomata with rachis having the vascular bundles of the collateral endarch and it was arranged in the double U manner. A particular tightening was available at the base of the lateral shoots of this plant.

Hence, the correct answer is Option (A)

Note: The female flower consists of the conical receptacle that was surrounded by the bracts and has the stalked ovule. The instrument was fused with the nucleus. Male flowers possess the microsporophyll that was united at the base to form a cup structure and one of it was fertile and all the other microsporophylls are sterile in nature.