Pecopteris
| Pecopteris Temporal range: Devonian to early Permian |
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| Partial frond of Pecopteris villosa from Mazon Creek (Carboniferous) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Genus: | Pecopteris Brongn. |
| Species | |
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Approximately 250 to 300, see text. |
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Pecopteris was a form genus of leaves from several unrelated plant groups[1] that flourished the early Carboniferous period and on to c. 250 Ma. Pecopteris first appeared in the Devonian period, but flourished in the Carboniferous, especially the Pennsylvanian. Plants bearing these leaves went extinct around the beginning of the Permian period.
Contents |
[edit] Etymology
Pecopteris is derived from the Greek pekin, (to comb), and pteris, (a fern).[2] This is because the leaflets of Pecopteris fronds are arranged like the teeth on a comb.[3]
[edit] Species
As of 1997, there have been 250-300 species assigned to Pecopteris.[4]
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Pecopteris unita
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Pecopteris on display at the State Museum of Pennsylvania
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Pecopteris in the Exhibit Museum of Natural History, Ann Arbor
[edit] References
- ^ Taylor, Thomas N. & Edith L. Taylor. The Biology and Evolution of Fossil Plants, page 598. (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1993). ISBN 0-13-651589-4.
- ^ Webster's New Universal Unabridged Dictionary, Simon & Schuster Publishing, 1972. ISBN 0-671-41819-X.
- ^ Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Volume II, 1976, pg. 1662.
- ^ Research Training Progam
[edit] External links
Media related to Pecopteris at Wikimedia Commons
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