Question

The fossil, pentoxylon was discovered in ___________
A. Srinagar, Kashmir
B. Rajmahal, Bihar
C. Shimla, Himachal Pradesh
D. Golconda, Andhra Pradesh

Answer 1

Hint: Fossils are the remains and traces of ancient lives that have been preserved naturally, these can be big skeletons or mini seashells. Prints and tracks can also become fossils, the footprints of dinosaurs are the example of trace fossils. We can identify how the animals and plants lived and behaved million years ago by studying the remains of life and their traces left behind.

Complete answer:
An Indian palaeobotanist professor Birbal Sahni discovered the Pentoxyleae group in 1948. This is a group of some fossils. These fossil plants are described in Rajmahal Hills in the Amrapara district of eastern Bihar (India). Professor Sahni’s discovery of this group has created several difficulties for the taxonomy of gymnosperms. As well it has become a risk to our understanding of the evolution of the gymnosperms. Pentoxyleae shows some features which are not shown by members of any other group of gymnosperms, this also shows the mixture of features characteristic of Bennettitales, Cycadales, and Coniferales. Extinct Mesozoic plants found in the Jurassic era. These plants were shrubs or very small trees. Leaves have open venation. Stems were polistalic. Pentoxylon Sahni and Nipanioxylon Guptai are the stem genera of pentoxyleae. Because it has five steles in the cross-section of the stem, this genus is named pentoxylon.
So option (B) is the correct answer to this question, which is Rajmahal, Bihar.

Note: Pentoxylon is the stem genus of group pentoxyleae and it was discovered by Birbal Sahni in Rajmahal of Bihar (India) in 1948.pentoxylon had five steles in its cross-section of the stem so it is called pentoxylon. Many small shoots were also present on the stem. Five steles cover a large part of the stem. Each stele had its own cambium.