Mazon Creek pollen organ

[connorp]

This concretion opened up recently and I'm pretty stumped. My best guess is that this is a lateral view of some sort of pollen organ, but I haven't been able to find a match in literature. I was hoping someone here might have an idea? @paleoflor @RCFossils @fiddlehead

 

 

[RCFossils]

It appears to be a fertile pinnule of Pecopteris fontainei.

[debivort]

FWIW, I think this wouldn't technically be pollen if it belongs to a fern.

[connorp]

25 minutes ago, RCFossils said:

It appears to be a fertile pinnule of Pecopteris fontainei.

Ah yes, that's definitely it. Thank you!

 

18 minutes ago, debivort said:

FWIW, I think this wouldn't technically be pollen if it belongs to a fern.

True ferns no, but a seed fern yes.

[RJB]

Amazes me what knowledge some folks have.  RCFossils and connorp certainly seem to know what their talking about.  To me, this looks like a caterpillar on a leaf?  

 

RB

[fiddlehead]

Rob is mostly correct, but not really. The the name Pecopteris fontaine was erected for sterile foliage in 1889 by Lesquereux. But the fertile leaves of the same plant were named Crossotheca (Staphylopteriis) sagittata in 1870, also by Lesquereux. Since it was found the two names (one for fertile leaves and one for sterile leaves) were erected on what was later determined to be the same plant. The first name erected has precedence. Short answer is: what you have an example of is Crossotheca sagittata Lesquereux,1870.

 

Hope that helps

Jack 

[Mark Kmiecik]

Resembles an incomplete fiddlehead to me.