Sanfordiacaulis

Sanfordiacaulis Temporal range: Tournaisian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
A reconstruction of Sanfordiacaulis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Order:	incertae sedis
Genus:	† Sanfordiacaulis Gastaldo et al., 2024
Species:	†S. densifolia
Binomial name
†Sanfordiacaulis densifolia Gastaldo et al., 2024

Sanfordiacaulis is an enigmatic genus of early Carboniferous plant from New Brunswick, Canada, described in 2024, distinguished by its unusual crown morphology and known from five specimens. ^{[1] [2] [3]} It was discovered in 2017 near Norton, now part of Valley Waters. ^[4] This genus contains one species, Sanfordiacaulis densifolia.

Description

Sanfordiacaulis is an indeterminate vascular plant, roughly 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in height, with a non-woody stem 16 cm (6.3 in) wide and a crown width of 5 to 6 m (16 to 20 ft). Its leaves are arranged in a tightly packed, non-Fibonacci spiral, with the portion of the trunk bearing leaves estimated to have had over 200 laterals based on petiole distribution. ^[1] The trunk is covered in elliptical leaf bases (not visible on the upper portion due to the leaves obscuring them), with no evidence of a downward-facing leaf skirt like in palm trees. The bases of the petioles are decurrent (extend down the stem) and extend upwards for around 7 cm (2.8 in) before changing their direction further outwards, with the angle becoming sharper towards the tip down to around 20°. On the adaxial (towards the growth axis) surface a large groove is present, decreasing in size towards the tip which changes the cross-section from cordate (heart-shaped) to triangular/oval. These petioles decrease from around 3 cm (1.2 in) across at the trunk to 1.5 cm (0.59 in) at the tip, with the petioles at roughly a 90° angle from the trunk. Secondary laterals start around 50 cm (20 in) from the petiole base, each around 3-4 mm wide and at least 3 to 4 cm (1.2 to 1.6 in) long. The lack of preserved reproductive structures unfortunately means no classification finer than a vascular plant can be determined. ^[1]

Etymology

Sanfordiacaulis's genus name is derived from the quarry containing the specimens and its owner, Laurie Sanford, whereas its specific name, densifolia is derived from the dense arrangement of leaves. ^[1]

References

1. Gastaldo, Robert A.; Gensel, Patricia G.; Glasspool, Ian J.; Hinds, Steven J.; King, Olivia A.; McLean, Duncan; Park, Adrian F.; Stimson, Matthew R.; Stonesifer, Timothy (2 February 2024). "Enigmatic fossil plants with three-dimensional, arborescent-growth architecture from the earliest Carboniferous of New Brunswick, Canada". Current Biology. 34 (4): 781–792.e3. Bibcode:2024CBio...34E.781G. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.01.011 . PMID   38309270.
2. Magazine, Smithsonian; Thorsberg, Christian. "Rare Fossil Shows Trees Looked Very Different 350 Million Years Ago". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
3. Horn-Muller, Ayurella (2 February 2024). "Sanfordiacaulis: New ancient tree species looks like it could be from the mind of Dr. Seuss". CNN. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
4. Perry, Brad (7 February 2024). "Rare 3D fossilized tree found near Norton". Country 94 . Retrieved 21 April 2024.