Carboniferous Pennsylvanian seed fern specimens (pteridosperms)

[ntloux]

I am attaching images of Pennsylvanian seed ferns that were identified by the collectors.  The fossils from Kentucky were generally found in the shale around closed down coal mines on family farms.  Hopefully these images may assist others in identifying their specimens.  Comments/suggestions/corrections are welcome and I also would appreciate specimen identification beyond the genus level for many of the specimens.

 

The first image is of a Pennsylvanian alethopteris specimen from eastern Kentucky:

 

 

Pennsylvanian alethopteris from eastern Kentucky.

 

 

 Pennsylvanian cyclopteris (upper right) and macroneuropteris specimens from eastern Kentucky.

 

 

 Pennsylvanian eusphenopteris specimen from eastern Kentucky.

 

 

Pennsylvanian mariopteris specimen from eastern Kentucky.

 

 

Pennsylvanian Pecopteris plumosa specimen from Upper Silesia in Poland.

 

 

 

Pennsylvanian pecopteris specimen from eastern Kentucky.

 

 

Pennsylvanian sphenopteris specimen from eastern Kentucky.

 

 

 

Pennsylvanian crenulopteris specimen from Mazon Creek, Illinois.  A helpful Forum member suggested this could be crenulopteris acadica.

 

 

This last Pennsylvanian specimen is from Mazon Creek, Illinois identified by one individual as Lobatopteris lamuriana and in addition a helpful Forum member suggested that it is possibly a diplazites unita.

[Mark Kmiecik]

#1. Definitely Alethopteris. My best guess is A. serlii.

#2. Cyclopteris veins do not fork. Most likely candidate for Cyclopteris would be the bottom right, although I think I see forking veins there as well when I magnify the image. I think the upper right is Neuropteris ovata. The other two (bottom) specimens are most probably basal pinnule of Macroneuropteris scheuchzeri (left) and ?Neuropteris sp. terminal pinnule (right).

#3. Eusphenopteris rotundiloba?

#4. Mariopteris nervosa?

#5. Pecopteris plumosa is now Senftenbergia plumosa.

#6. I don't know. Pecopteris gives me problems. I lean towards Neuropteris on this one, but I'm probably wrong.

#7. Sphenopteris spinosa?

#8. Crenulopteris acadica?

#9. ?Diplazites unita

Your milage may vary.  Wait for others to chime in before you make any label changes, and if you do, keep the old labels with the specimen.

[ntloux]

Mark,  Thank you very much for the input.  Best wishes, Nick Loux

[Wrangellian]

Nice collection. I hope you have more specific locations for each one than just 'E. Kentucky' and the vagueness is just to protect the location(s)? Some of them look like pieces I acquired from Hyden, KY but I guess the same style of preservation is more widespread than that one spot.

[Yoda]

@ntloux

You have some really nice plant specimens there 

[ntloux]

Thank you for the response.  As these were collected by farm owners I am not sure where they necessarily came from.  Hyden Kentucky does sound familiar though.

[Wrangellian]

On 3/11/2024 at 8:08 AM, ntloux said:

Thank you for the response.  As these were collected by farm owners I am not sure where they necessarily came from.  Hyden Kentucky does sound familiar though.

Yes, I think my pieces were from an old mine on a farm, if I recall.

[ntloux]

Thinking about it, some were listed as being from Ryder Kentucky as well.  They are significantly better than my other specimens.

[bockryan]

Great specimens, love the sphenopteris especially

[Wrangellian]

12 hours ago, ntloux said:

Thinking about it, some were listed as being from Ryder Kentucky as well.  They are significantly better than my other specimens.

Hyden. (I don't see a 'Ryder' anywhere in Kentucky)

[ntloux]

I couldn't find a Ryder in Kentucky as well.  There was a business that was presumably named after some small village or whatever.  I did wish to ask, do you have any images of your specimens posted?  Perhaps we could compare notes.

[paleoflor]

#2. I do not think the pinna on the top right of the photo can be assigned to Neuropteris ovata. The lateral pinnules lack the auricles that characterize this species (moreover the terminal pinnule is rather small). Given the low vein density of the lateral pinnules and twice dichotomous venation, my best guess would be Laveineopteris rarinervis.

 

#6. Agree with @Mark Kmiecik that this is neuropterid rather than pecopterid foliage.

Edited March 14 by paleoflor

[ntloux]

Thank you for the information.