Superb Polished Permian Tree Fern Trunk Section

Tietea singularis

Pteridophyta; Psaroniaceae

Geological Time: Lower Permian (~ 280 million years ago)

Size: Fossil is 160 mm by 110 mm, 10 mm thick

Fossil Site: Motuca Formation, Filadelfia County, Tocantins , Brazil

Code: TUS19-20

Price: Sold


Description: Sections of tree fern trunks are highly prized for their beauty. Tree ferns have been around since the Late Carboniferous, and persist to this day, earning them the term “living fossil”. While specimens were available some 20 years ago in Tucson, fewer and fewer have become available in recent years since the establishment of a national park in 2000. Now material from this site is only available from old collections such as the one a stumbled across this year. The “trunk” is composed of many vascular elements that supply the plant with water and nourishment, making for a most pleasing overall effect. This is an essentially complete trunk section which shows the adventitious roots of the fern in great detail. It has been polished to show off the interior to best advantage. The vascular strand of a young plant would divide, and adventitious roots would then surround the stem to provide support, allowing additional stems to grow alongside. Members of the genus lived in wet environments as well as ground subject to periodic drying. They flourished into the Permian, to become extinct in the later Permian when the climate became too hot and dry in many places for it to exist. This is an excellent example showing all the classic features for which the locale is renowned.

Fossils for Sale Information

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