Pteruchus
Appearance
Pteruchus Temporal range:
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Pteruchus africanus fossil pollen organ, Late Triassic, Molteno Formation, Umkomaas, South Africa. | |
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Genus: | Pteruchus Thomas (1933)[1]
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Pteruchus is a form genus for pollen organs of the seed fern (Pteridospermatophyta family Umkomasiaceae. It was first described by Hamshaw Thomas[1] from the Umkomaas locality of South Africa.
Description
The pollen organ Pteruchus differs from other seed fern pollen organs in having numerous pendant pollen sacs from a blade-like head, in an arrangement similar to an epaulette.
Whole plant reconstructions
- Pteruchus africanus may have been produced by the same plant as Umkomasia macleanii (ovulate organs) and Dicroidium odontopteroides (leaves), based on cuticular similarities between these leaves and reproductive structures at the Umkomaas locality of South Africa.[1]
- Pteruchus barrealensis may have been produced by the same plant as Umkomasia feistmantelii (ovulate organs) and Dicroidium zuberi (leaves), based on cuticular similarities between these leaves and reproductive structures near Sydney Australia.[3]
References
- ^ a b c Thomas, H.H. (1933). "On some pteridospermous plants from the Mesozoic rocks of South Africa". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society Series B. 222: 193–265.
- ^ Retallack, G.J. and Dilcher, D.L (1988). "Reconstructions of selected seed ferns". Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. 75: 1010–1057.
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Retallack,G.J. (1977). "Reconstructing Triassic vegetation of Australasia: a new approach for the biostratigraphy of Gondwanaland". Alcheringa. 1: 247–278.