Multiple Plants A.JPG

Multiple Plant Fossil - Neuropteris, Pecopteris, Annularia Plant, other leaves. *Two-sided fossil

Ferndale area of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, USA
Pennsylvanian - 323.2 -298.9 million years ago
Fossils on both sides of specimen. This fine specimen shows two leaflets of Calamites, a member of the Calamitales which belong to the Sphenophytes. Whorls of small leaflets are arranged concentrically around a thin stem and are called Annularia or Asterophyllites. Calamites itself is the name originally given to a stem section, but now applies to the entire plant. These were indicative of humid to wet habitats such as along rivers and lake shores. There appears to be small "branches" of calamites as well. Also on this piece, Neuropteris leaflets - they are usually blunt tipped and are attached by a single stem as opposed by the entire base, like Pecopteris. Also, Neuropteris has an overall heartshape. Fern leaves called Pecopteris grew abundantly in the coal swamps of the Carboniferous Period. These leaves dropped off of a 35 foot fern tree called “Psaronius“, one of the most common Paleozoic types. With its sparse and expansive branches, it resembled the modern day palm tree. It produced as many as 7000 spores on the underside of its leaves.
Kingdom: Plantae