Cycads: Fossil Evidence of Late Paleozoic Origin

Plant fossils from Lower Permian strata of the southwestern United States have been interpreted as cycadalean megasporophylls. They are evidently descended from spermopterid elements of the Pennsylvanian Taeniopteris complex; thus the known fossil history of the cycads is extended from the Late Tria...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 1969-04, Vol.164 (3877), p.295-296
Main Author: Mamay, Sergius H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Basement membrane
Flora
Fossils
Genera
Leaves
New genus
Ovules
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Summary:Plant fossils from Lower Permian strata of the southwestern United States have been interpreted as cycadalean megasporophylls. They are evidently descended from spermopterid elements of the Pennsylvanian Taeniopteris complex; thus the known fossil history of the cycads is extended from the Late Triassic into the late Paleozoic. Possible implications of the Permian fossils toward evolution of the angiosperm carpel are considered.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.164.3877.295