? On Another Find- Pennsylvanian - North East Ohio

[saysac]

Brought this one home yesterday, but not certain what it is. It measures 3/8" long and 5/8" at the top. Any ideas?

[ZiggieCie]

You have a real treasure trove.

[saysac]

Thank you Ziggie. I have so much to bring home before winter hits. Gonna have to call in the troops to help, I am afraid.....

[Auspex]

It could well be Lepidostrobus, a Lepidodendron "cone".

The preservation is simply outstanding!

[lissa318]

Very nice find!!! Congrats! Again... lol! Looking forward to seeing more.

[saysac]

Thank you Auspex and Lissa318. It is small but unusual in shape

[Rob Russell]

Perhaps a leaf scar?

[Stocksdale]

I think a possibility is that this is Lacoea. Richard Leary describes it as a cone of Palaeopteridium. Sherry has found many Palaeopteridium leaves.

I'll try to find some photos and illustrations to compare.

Illustration (Read-1946)

Illustration (Leary-1977)

For reference, here's some of Sherry's palaeopteridiums .

Edited September 14, 2015 by Stocksdale

[paleoflor]

Paul, think you nailed it! Could you provide the full reference from which you obtained the photographs? I'd like to read up on this thing.

[Stocksdale]

Thanks, Tim!

I'd read about Lacoea awhile ago when reading Richard Leary's papers. I thought when I read about it that Sherry's locations should have some.... So I was just waiting for the moment to pounce when one appeared :)

Here's the 1977 paper by Richard Leary and Pfefferkorn

Edited September 15, 2015 by Stocksdale

[saysac]

Paul, this looks exactly like it! Thank you!!! So....what else should I be looking for?

Edited September 15, 2015 by saysac

[Auspex]

This topic is a gold mine! Wonderful, off-beat stuff, with new knowledge pouring out.

I am enrapt.

[Stocksdale]

Here are images of a two page piece by Richard Leary in 1972 about Lacoea.

http://www.idaillinois.org/utils/getdownloaditem/collection/ism/id/2710/type/compoundobject/show/2703/cpdtype/document/filename/2704.jpg

http://www.idaillinois.org/utils/getdownloaditem/collection/ism/id/2710/type/compoundobject/show/2703/cpdtype/document/filename/2705.jpg

[saysac]

Paul, I have found a few specimens that resemble the Lacoea, but not certain I brought any home yet. I will try and stop tonight and see what I can find on the "shelf".

[Stocksdale]

Paul, this looks exactly like it! Thank you!!! So....what else should I be looking for?

What else to look for......

One thing I that would be hugely significant would be anything showing a fertile part of the large fronds.

I think yours are related to cycads. (Possibly the first in the cycad lineage!!) If so, they might have special fronds with rows of round circles or spheres near the base of the frond.

Here's some illustrations of that sort of thing.

Edited September 16, 2015 by Stocksdale

[saysac]

I do not remember seeing anything like this, but will certainly watch out for them. Thanks for giving me information on what to look for Paul! Here are the other ones that I wonder are Lacoea?

Edited September 16, 2015 by saysac

[saysac]

More...

[Stocksdale]

Those look more like Lepidostrobus (Lepidodendron Cones). But not really sure.

--anyone else have thoughts?

[Stocksdale]

Here's a pdf about Discinites. Discinites is the broader family of NOEGGERATHIAN cones.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1475-4983.2005.00516.x/epdf

The paper is by Dr. Zbynek Simunek. By coincidence, Simunek recently was able to take a look (through email) at the two different types of fronds that Sherry has and had some interesting thoughts on them. I should email him a photo of this new cone of Sherry's as well.

Edited September 17, 2015 by Stocksdale