Mazon ID Needed

[Toddster]

Newbie to Mazon Creek fossils. I couldn't find anything like this while searching online.

Any help would be much appreciated.

[Fossildude19]

Looks like a plant fragment -  what is the size?

My first thought was a Cordaites type of leaf. 

 

@RCFossils

[Toddster]

The spike itself is 1/4" wide X 1-3/4" long.

[abyssunder]

Can we have a high-resolution image of the fossil?

[Toddster]

Not sure if this is much better, but it is the best I could do with my phone.

[fiddlehead]

From what I can make out from this picture.  It is a lateral “rootlet” which was once attached to one of the scars of Stigmaria ficoides. They are about 1 cm wide and slowly taper distally. A single, thin vascular strand may be observed, which runs down the entire length of the rootlet These are the actual roots of arboreal lycopsids. Stigmaria represents the root-like support structures of all the various arboreal lycopsids. But they were not structurally like modern roots, and are more properly referred to as rhizophores. Attached is a rare Mazon Creek example of roots still in attachment to a small section of Stigmaria.

 

Hope this helps,

Jack

[abyssunder]