Dictyopteridium

{{Short description|Extinct genus of plants}}

{{Automatic taxobox

| fossil_range = {{Fossil range|Late Permian}}

| image = Dictyopteridium sporiferum reconstruction.jpg

| image_caption = 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, Queensland{{Cite journal|title=Reconstructions of selected seed ferns|author1=Retallack, G.J. |author2=Dilcher, D.L.|journal=Missouri Botanical Garden Annals|year=1988|volume=75|issue=3 |pages= 1010–1057|doi=10.2307/2399379|jstor=2399379 }}

| taxon = Dictyopteridium

| authority = Feistmantel 1881

| subdivision_ranks = Species

| subdivision =

}}

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.{{cite book|author1=Taylor, Edith L. |author2=Taylor, Thomas N. |author3=Krings, Michael |title=Paleobotany: The Biology and Evolution of Fossil Plants|publisher=Academic Press|date=2009|pages=271–74|isbn=9780080557830|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_29tNNeQKeMC&q=Protolepidodendrales}} Permineralized remains identical to Dictyopteridium have been referred to the organ genus Homevaleia{{Cite journal|title=New evidence of reproductive organs of Glossopteris based on permineralized fossils from Queensland, Australia. I. Ovulate organ Homevaleia gen. nov.|author1=Nishida, H. |author2=Pigg, K.B. |author3=Kudo. K. |author4=Rigby, J.F. |name-list-style=amp |journal=Journal of Plant Research|year=2007|volume=120|issue=4 |pages=539–549 |doi=10.1007/s10265-007-0093-0|pmid=17534692 |bibcode=2007JPlR..120..539N |s2cid=32526993 }}

File:Dictyopteridium hand specimen.jpg

File:Dictyopteridium pollen chamber.jpg

File:Glossopteris cross section.jpg

File:Vertebraria cross section.jpg

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, Queensland 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