| Osmunda wehrii Temporal range: Middle Miocene, | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Division: | Polypodiophyta |
| Class: | Polypodiopsida |
| Order: | Osmundales |
| Family: | Osmundaceae |
| Genus: | Osmunda |
| Species: | †O. wehrii |
| Binomial name | |
| †Osmunda wehrii Miller, 1982 | |
Osmunda wehrii is an extinct species of fern in the modern genus Osmunda of the family Osmundaceae. Osmunda wehrii is known from Langhian age Miocene fossils found in Central Washington. [1] [2]
The species was described from specimens of silicified rhizomes and frond bases in blocks of chert. The cherts were recovered from sediments outcropping near the contact of the Roza Basalts and the overlying Priest Rapids Basalts, designated the type locality, near the town of Beverly, Washington by Fred Brinkman of Sunnyside, Washington. [1] Further specimens of O. wehrii have been found at the "Ho ho" site, one of the "county line hole" fossil localities north of Interstate 82 in Yakima County, Washington. [2] The "Ho ho" site works strata which is part of the Museum Flow Package within the interbeds of the Sentinel Bluffs Unit of the central Columbia Plateau N2 Grande Ronde Basalt, Columbia River Basalt Group. The Museum Flow Package interbeds are dated to the middle Miocene and are approximately 15.6 million years old. [2]
The holotype specimens, two pieces of the same chert specimen containing rhizomes and frond bases, are preserved in the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture as specimen numbers "4772" and "4773". [1] The specimens of chert were studied by paleobotanists Charles N. Miller jr of University of Montana. Miller published his 1982 type description for Osmunda wehrii in the American Journal of Botany volume 69 article "Osmunda wehrii, a New Species Based on Petrified Rhizomes from the Miocene of Washington". [1] In his type description he noted the etymology for the specific epithet wehrii, in honor of Wesley C. Wehr who made the type specimens available to Miller for study. [1]
Wessiea possesses rhizomes which are approximately 4 centimetres (1.6 in) in diameter. The fossils have distinct stipular frond bases characteristic of the family Osmundaceae, while the interior of the fronds show distinct long fibers in the frond bases are both representative of the modern genus Osmunda. [1] It is found in the chert blocks intertwined with the extinct genus Wessiea yakimaensis and anatomically preserved Woodwardia virginica , which still lives in the forests of eastern coastal North America. [2]
Osmundaceae is a family of ferns containing four to six extant genera and 18–25 known species. It is the only living family of the order Osmundales in the class Polypodiopsida (ferns) or in some classifications the only order in the class Osmundopsida. This is an ancient and fairly isolated group that is often known as the "flowering ferns" because of the striking aspect of the ripe sporangia in Claytosmunda, Osmunda, Osmundastrum, and Plensium. In these genera the sporangia are borne naked on non-laminar pinnules, while Todea and Leptopteris bear sporangia naked on laminar pinnules. Ferns in this family are larger than most other ferns.
Osmunda is a genus of primarily temperate-zone ferns of family Osmundaceae. Five to ten species have been listed for this genus.
Claytosmunda is a genus of fern. It has only one extant species, Claytosmunda claytoniana, the interrupted fern, native to Eastern Asia, Eastern United States, and Eastern Canada.
Osmunda regalis, or royal fern, is a species of deciduous fern, native to Europe, Africa and Asia, growing in woodland bogs and on the banks of streams. The species is sometimes known as flowering fern due to the appearance of its fertile fronds.
Osmundastrum is genus of leptosporangiate ferns in the family Osmundaceae with one living species, Osmundastrum cinnamomeum, the cinnamon fern. It is native to the Americas and eastern Asia, growing in swamps, bogs and moist woodlands.
Psaronius is an extinct genus marattialean tree fern which grew to 10m in height, and is associated with leaves of the organ genus Pecopteris and other extinct tree ferns. Originally, Psaronius was a name for the petrified stems, but today the genus is used for the entire tree fern. Psaronius tree fern fossils are found from the Carboniferous through the Permian.
The fern genus Todea is known from only two living species. Species in the genus Todea, as Leptopteris, are distinct from other in Osmundaceae in that sporangia are born on laminar pinnules.
The Medullosales is an extinct order of pteridospermous seed plants characterised by large ovules with circular cross-section and a vascularised nucellus, complex pollen-organs, stems and rachides with a dissected stele, and frond-like leaves. Their nearest still-living relatives are the cycads.
Wessiea is an extinct morphogenus of fern not placed in a specific family. Wessiea is known from Late Cretaceous and Middle Miocene age fossils found in Central Washington USA and Southern Alberta Canada. Two species are described in the morphogenus, W. oroszii and the type species W. yakimaensis.
Carapace Nunatak is a prominent isolated nunatak, the most westerly near the head of Mackay Glacier in Victoria Land, standing 8 nautical miles (15 km) southwest of Mount Brooke where it is visible for a considerable distance from many directions. It was so named by the New Zealand party of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition (1956–1958) because of the fossil carapaces of small crustaceans found in the exposed rocks.
Carya washingtonensis is an extinct species of hickory nut in the walnut family Juglandaceae. The species is solely known from the Miocene sediments exposed in Kittitas County near Ellensburg, Washington.
Anchistea is a genus of leptosporangiate ferns in the family Blechnaceae. It has only one species, Anchistea virginica the Virginia chain fern, which has long creeping, scaly, underground stems or rhizomes giving rise to tall widely separated, deciduous, single leaves. In contrast, the leaves of Osmundastrum cinnamomeum, which can be mistaken for A. virginica, grow in a group from a crown. Also in contrast to O. cinnamomeum the leaves are monomorphic without distinct fertile fronds. The lower petiole or stipe is dark purple to black, shiny and swollen, the upper rachis is dull green. The leaf blade is green and lanceolate, composed of 12 to 23 paired, alternate pinnatifid pinnae. The pinnae are subdivided into 15 to 20 paired segments that are ovate to oblong. The lower rachis is naked for about half its length. The sori or spore-producing bodies are found on the underside of the pinnae and are long and form a double row which outlines the major veins of the pinnae. In common with all ferns, A. virginica exhibits a gametophyte stage in its life cycle and develops a haploid reproductive prothallus as an independent plant. The spores are produced in red-brown sori which line the spaces (areolae) between the costa and costules. Further photographs can be found at the Connecticut Botanical Society and Ontario Ferns websites.
Liquidambar changii is an extinct species of sweetgum in the Altingiaceae genus Liquidambar. Liquidambar changii is known from Middle Miocene fossils found in Central Washington.
Quercus hiholensis is an extinct species of oak in the Fagaceae genus Quercus. The species is known from Middle Miocene fossils found in Central Washington.
Shirleya is an extinct genus in the crape myrtle family, Lythraceae, which contains a single species, Shirleya grahamae. The genus and species are known from Middle Miocene fossils found in Central Washington.
Acer beckianum is an extinct maple species in the family Sapindaceae described from a single fossil wood section. The species is solely known from the Middle Miocene sediments exposed in central Washington in the United States. It is one of three Washington state Acer species described in 1961 from petrified wood.
Plenasium is a genus of ferns in the family Osmundaceae. It is recognized in the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), but kept within a more broadly circumscribed genus Osmunda by other sources. The genus is known from Early Cretaceous to present.
Pseudolarix wehrii is an extinct species of golden larch in the pine family (Pinaceae). The species is known from early Eocene fossils of northern Washington state, United States, and southern British Columbia, Canada, along with late Eocene mummified fossils found in the Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada.
Osmundastrum pulchellum is an extinct species of Osmundastrum, leptosporangiate ferns in the family Osmundaceae from the lower Jurassic (Pliensbachian-Toarcian?) Djupadal Formation of Southern Sweden. It remained unstudied for 40 years. It is one of the most exceptional fossil ferns ever found, preserving intact calcified tissue with DNA and cells. Its exceptional preservation has allowed the study of the DNA relationships with extant Osmundaceae ferns, proving a 180-million-year genomic stasis. It has also preserved its biotic interactions and even ongoing mitosis.
