Jump to content

RomanK's Blog

  • entries
    7
  • comments
    45
  • views
    26,315

Seed Fern Leaves In My Collection


RomanK

3,880 views

To start I quote some brief information from the Wiki about pteridosperms.

The term Pteridospermatophyta (or "seed ferns") refers to several distinct groups of extinct seed-bearing plants. The oldest fossil evidence of plants of this type is of late Devonian age, and they flourished particularly during the Carboniferous and Permian periods. Pteridosperms declined during the Mesozoic Era and had mostly disappeared by the end of the Cretaceous Period.

Nowadays, four orders of Palaeozoic seed plants tend to be referred to as pteridosperms: Medullosales, Lyginopteridales, Callistophytales and Peltaspermales.

I have the specimens for first two ones only.

So, go ahead. First group

Medullosales - Neuropteris, Alethopteris, Odontopteris, Reticulopteris, Cyclopteris.

Most medullosaleans were small to medium sized trees. The largest were probably the trees with Alethopteris fronds - these fronds could be at least 7 metres long and the trees were perhaps up to 10 metres tall. Especially in Moscovian times, many medullosaleans were rather smaller trees with fronds only about 2 metres long, and apparently growing in dense, mutually supporting stands. During Kasimovian and Gzhelian times there were also non-arboreal forms with smaller fronds (e.g. Odontopteris) that were probably scrambling or possibly climbing plants.

blogentry-814-0-65472300-1319974131.jpg

Neuropteris and Cyclopteris

blogentry-814-0-47662400-1319974170.jpgblogentry-814-0-37599600-1319974183.jpgblogentry-814-0-40477400-1319974197.jpgblogentry-814-0-42157100-1319974210.jpgblogentry-814-0-19091200-1319974222.jpgblogentry-814-0-79441500-1319974234.jpg

blogentry-814-0-63567200-1319976629.jpgblogentry-814-0-01003700-1319976611.jpg

Alethopteris

blogentry-814-0-63214000-1319976665.jpgblogentry-814-0-24488900-1319976683.jpgblogentry-814-0-91050100-1319976696.jpgblogentry-814-0-25624700-1319976706.jpg

Odontopteris

blogentry-814-0-15500300-1319976745.jpgblogentry-814-0-57726000-1319976763.jpgblogentry-814-0-38519900-1319976776.jpg

Reticulopteris

blogentry-814-0-31222000-1319976921.jpgblogentry-814-0-12212300-1319976934.jpg

Second group

Lyginopteridales - includ Lyginopteris, Eusphenopteris, Diplothmema, Palmatopteris, Karinopteris, Mariopteris.

In most cases the amount of secondary wood was limited suggesting they were stems of scrambling or climbing plants. The stele is surrounded by a zone of cortex, which in many genera contains bands of fibrous tissue. This fibrous tissue often results in distinctive markings on the surface of the stems even when preserved as adpressions and can help with their generic identification: Lyginopteris for instance shows a mesh-shaped patterning on the surface of the stems.

blogentry-814-0-22353700-1319976242.jpgblogentry-814-0-31620500-1319977750.jpg

Mariopteris

blogentry-814-0-39362200-1319977034.jpgblogentry-814-0-13666900-1319977046.jpgblogentry-814-0-94855900-1319977055.jpg

9 Comments


Recommended Comments

As always,very nice informative article.Great pictures of the specimens as well.Great job.

Link to comment

As always,very nice informative article.Great pictures of the specimens as well.Great job.

Thank you very much, bear-dog.

Link to comment
Terry Dactyll

Posted

Roman... Fabulous selection and the microscope photography enable us to see the subtle details... Well done and great blog...

Link to comment

Thank you Steve! I still haven't enough time to start the Euroamerica fossils publication, will do sometimes...

Link to comment

Great work as always, Roman.

I enjoy your informative and interesting posts.

Great photography, as well.

Regards,

Link to comment

Thank you Tim, try to do something useful and interesting for other members.

Link to comment
×
×
  • Create New...