Dictyopteridium

Dictyopteridium is an extinct genus of plants belonging to Glossopteridaceae, but the name is used only for compression fossils of elongate multiovulate reproductive structures adnate to Glossopteris leaves.[2] Permineralized remains identical to Dictyopteridium have been referred to the organ genus Homevaleia[3]

Hand specimen of Dictyopteridium sporiferum permimeralized peat of the Late Permian Blackwater Coal Measures near Homevale Station, Queensland
Pollen chamber with pollen of Protohaploxypinus limpidus in ovule Dictyopteridium sporiferum from permineralized peat of the Late Permian Blackwater Coal Measures near Homevale Station, Queensland
Leaf of Glossopteris communiswith palisade layer and lower stomatiferous surface preserved in permineralized peat of the Late Permian Blackwater Coal Measures near Homevale Station, Queensland
Chambered root of Vertebraria australis with thick secondary wood in permineralized peat of the Late Permian Blackwater Coal Measures near Homevale Station, Queensland

Dictyopteridium
Temporal range: Late Permian
Reconstruction of the glossopterid plant Dictyopteridium sporiferum, with Glossopteris communis leaves, Eretmonia hinjridaensis pollen organ, Protohaploxypinus limpidus pollen, Ararucarioxylon bengalense wood and chambered roots of Vertebraria australis from Late Permian Blackwater Coal Measures near Homevale Station, Queesnland[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Division: †Pteridospermatophyta
Order: †Glossopteridales
Family: †Glossopteridaceae
Genus: †Dictyopteridium
Feistmantel 1881
Species
  • Dictyopteridium sporiferum impression ovulate structure
  • Homevaleia gouldii permineralized ovulate structure

Description

Dictyopteridium is an elongate leaf-like structure adnate to the upper surface of ordinary-appearing leaves of Glossopteris. It bore numerous ovules on its lower side which was folded over and filled with mucilage cells. Pollen still found its way into the pollen chambers of these protected seeds, and fertilization was by utilizing motile sperm with helical cilial bands.

Whole plant associations

Permineralzed remains from the Late Permian Blackwater Coal Measures near Homevale Station, Queesnland is evidence that the following paleobotanical organ genera were part of the same plant species: Dictyopteridium sporiferum impression of ovulate structure, Homevaleia gouldii permineralized ovulate structure, Glossopteris communis impressions of leaves, Eretmonia hinjridaensis pollen organ, Protohaploxypinus limpidus pollen, Araucarioxylon bengalense wood, and Vertebraria australis chambered roots.

References
  1. Retallack, G.J.; Dilcher, D.L. (1988). "Reconstructions of selected seed ferns". Missouri Botanical Garden Annals. 75 (3): 1010–1057. doi:10.2307/2399379. JSTOR 2399379.
  2. Taylor, Edith L.; Taylor, Thomas N.; Krings, Michael (2009). Paleobotany: The Biology and Evolution of Fossil Plants. Academic Press. pp. 271–74. ISBN 9780080557830.
  3. Nishida, H.; Pigg, K.B.; Kudo. K. & Rigby, J.F. (2007). "New evidence of reproductive organs of Glossopteris based on permineralized fossils from Queensland, Australia. I. Ovulate organ Homevaleia gen. nov". Journal of Plant Research. 120 (4): 539–549. doi:10.1007/s10265-007-0093-0. PMID 17534692. S2CID 32526993.
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