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A new vascular plant from the Lower Devonian Windyfield chert, Rhynie, NE Scotland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 November 2011

Clare L. Powell ,
Dianne Edwards  and
Nigel H. Trewin
Clare L. Powell
Affiliation:
Department of Earth Sciences, Cardiff University, PO Box 914, Cardiff CF10 3YE, UK.
Dianne Edwards
Affiliation:
Department of Earth Sciences, Cardiff University, PO Box 914, Cardiff CF10 3YE, UK.
Nigel H. Trewin
Affiliation:
Department of Geology and Petroleum Geology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UE, UK.
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Abstract

Two plants are described from fragmentary remains preserved in the Windyfield chert, situated c. 600 m from the classic Rhynie chert locality. Both are sometimes coated by a microbial film. The larger, fertile axes are placed in the new genus and species Ventarura lyonii. They possess a distinctive, sclerenchymatous middle cortex and terete xylem, and marginally dehiscent, lateral sporangia. The new taxon is similar to the Rhynie zosterophyll Trichopherophyton teuchansii, but is placed in a new genus on sporangial differences. Associated smaller axes with unicellular epidermal outgrowths lack the middle cortex of the larger axes and often have medullated protosteles. They are interpreted as subterranean rhizomes and probably belong to the new fertile taxon, but organic continuity between the two has not been demonstrated.

Keywords

hot-spring sintermicrobial filmtracheophyteVentarurazosterophyll
Type
Research Article
Information
Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of The Royal Society of Edinburgh , Volume 90 , Issue 4 , 1999 , pp. 331 - 349
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Society of Edinburgh 1999

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