Coal in India mainly belongs to Gondwana coalfields of Damodar-Koel, Son-Mahanadi, Wardha-Godavari, Narmada and Satpura Basins. The associated carbonaceous shales and sandstones exposed in these coalfields contain a variety of plant fossil assemblages of Glossopteris flora. The name of the flora is derived from the dominant presence of Glossopteris - leaves having a tongue shape, entire margin, distinct midrib and reticulate venation pattern. Apart from the leaves of Glossopteris, the flora is known by related leaf types, variety of male-female fructifications, seeds, sporangia and spore-pollen of the Glossopterid group of plants. The fossils of other groups of plants viz., Bryophytes, Lycophytes, Pteridophytes, Coniferophytes, and Ginkgophytes are also discovered in association with the flora. The coal bearing sequence of the Indian Gondwana coalfields is subdivided into a number of geological formations of the Permian Period i.e. Talchir, Karharbari, Barakar, Barren Measures, and Raniganj. Each formation contains characteristic plant fossil assemblages. The coal is being exploited from the workable coal seams of the Karharbari, Barakar and Raniganj formations. The palaeobotanical investigation of plant fossils recovered from four different coal seams of Pench, Kanhan and Pathakhera coalfields of the Satpura Gondwana Basin, of central India, indicates the presence of different types of assemblages in different coal seams. The flora of Lower Barakar coal seams demonstrates the frequent occurrence of Gangamopteris, Noeggerathiopsis, Buriadia, Botrychiopsis, various types of fructification Ottokaria, Arberia, seeds, and leaves of Glossopteris. In distinction the assemblage of the upper Barakar seams show the homogeneity of flora, with dominance of Glossopteris-species and different types of glossoptrid leaves e. g. Rhabdotaenia, Maheshwariphyllum, fructification Plumsteadia, Partha, Scutum and fertile and sterile fronds of Neomariopteris. Present study for the first time demonstrates the usefulness of plant fossil data in the correlation of coal seams in the Gondwana coalfields of India. The floristic analysis of the Raniganj Coalfield of eastern India also shows the evidence of specific distributions of plant fossils in different coal seams of Early Permian Barakar Formation. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.