Re: Found Fossil..CYCAD?

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Re: Found Fossil..CYCAD?

Posted by guide on August 19, 1998 at 22:16:36:

In Reply to: Re: Found Fossil..CYCAD? posted by Peter on August 14, 1998 at 13:45:07:

Could not find much about cycads in the book I previously recommended. However, went to this used book store and found a book titled "Plant Life through the Ages", Seward, 2nd edition, 1959(!). In the Jurassic Period section found these photos... will copy text from the book here...

"The portion of a splendid stem, Cycadeoidea (Raumeria) Reichenbachiana, in the Dresden Museum, reproduced in figure 98 [ top image ], shows several flowers bearing both male and female organs interspersed among the bases of old fronds. The Dresden specimen is a piece of a stem half a meter in diameter and was probably at least a meter high when complete: it was discovered in Creataceous beds of the Galician Carpathian Mountains more than 150 years ago...."

"On the surface of the half-stem of an unusually large American species, Cycadeoidea Dartoni (fig 99) [ middle image ] there are between five and six hundred flowers all produced during one blossom period which may have proved fatal" [ I am not sure but I see a certaing similarity with this stem internal side view with Marion's fossil side view ]

"In figure 100 [ bottom image ] some of the apical portions of these flowering shoots are shown in cross section: in centre of each is a solid axis of the receptacle - the conical end of the flower axis - and arranged in a circle at the periphery can be seen several small seeds marking the position of the fertile scales among the more numerous interseminal scales. This specimen affords a good example of what is known as a monocarpic plant: all the flowers are at the same stage of development, an indication that the stem had reached the critical stage in its life when it was petrified"

Well don't forget that the book was published in 1959 and many theories have been improved by now so don't take all said as a certain fact. For example, now we know does shoots are not "flowers" but a different reproductive organ.

If Marion's find (which was found in the northern SF Bay Area) is proven to be a cycadoid, intriguing questions show up:

1) Cycadoids are terrestrial plants, so was there a Cretaceous island the SF Bay Area? (!) Then, how about those very famous "dino" flying reptiles? (!)

2) If the area were the fossil was found is not Cretaceous, did cycadoids not get extinct at the end of the Mezoic as is the current theory?

3) If that fossil "drifted" from a Cretaceous continental region to a marine region where Marion found it, how such a high level of preservation be possible?

This is exciting. Any other comments will be greatly appreciated. And yes Art, Marion is looking for geo maps.. do you have some from the northern bay area? ... please e-mail me

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Message: : Could not find much about cycads in the book I previously recommended. However, went to this used book store and found a book titled "Plant Life through the Ages", Seward, 2nd edition, 1959(!). In the Jurassic Period section found this images... will copy text from the book here... : "The portion of a splendid stem, Cycadeoidea (Raumeria) Reichenbachiana, in the Dresden Museum, reproduced in figure 98 , shows several flowers bearing both male and female organs interspersed among the bases of old fronds. The Dresden specimen is a piece of a stem half a meter in diameter and was probably at least a meter high when complete: it was discovered in Creataceous beds of the Galician Carpathian Mountains more than 150 years ago...." : "On the surface of the half-stem od an unusually large American species, Cycadeoidea Dartoni (fig 99) there are between five and six hundred flowers all produced during one blossom period which may have proved fatal" : "In figure 100 some of the apical portions of these flowering shoots are shown in cross section: in centre of each is a solid axis of the receptacle - the conical end of the flower axis - and arranged in a circle at the periphery can be seen several small seeds marking the position of the fertile scales among the more numerous interseminal scales. This specimen affords a good example of what is known as a monocarpic plant: all the flowers are at the same stage of development, an indication that the stem had reached the critical stage in its life when it was petrified" : Well don't forget that the book was published in 1959 and many theories have been improved by now so don't take all said as a certain fact. For example, now we know does shoots are not "flowers" but a different reproductive organ. : If Marion's find (which was found in the northern SF Bay Area) is proven to be a cycadoid, intriguing questions show up: : 1) Cycad are terrestrial plants, so was there a Cretaceous island the SF Bay Area? (!) : 2) If the area were the fossil was found is not Cretaceous, did cycadoid not get extinct at the end of the Mezoic as current Paleobotanists theory? : 3) If that fossil "drifted" from a Cretaceous continetal region to a marine region where Marion found it, how come such a high level of fossil preservation be maintained? : This is exciting!!! Any other comments will be greatly appreciated.

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Message:	: Could not find much about cycads in the book I previously recommended. However, went to this used book store and found a book titled "Plant Life through the Ages", Seward, 2nd edition, 1959(!). In the Jurassic Period section found this images... will copy text from the book here... : "The portion of a splendid stem, Cycadeoidea (Raumeria) Reichenbachiana, in the Dresden Museum, reproduced in figure 98 , shows several flowers bearing both male and female organs interspersed among the bases of old fronds. The Dresden specimen is a piece of a stem half a meter in diameter and was probably at least a meter high when complete: it was discovered in Creataceous beds of the Galician Carpathian Mountains more than 150 years ago...." : "On the surface of the half-stem od an unusually large American species, Cycadeoidea Dartoni (fig 99) there are between five and six hundred flowers all produced during one blossom period which may have proved fatal" : "In figure 100 some of the apical portions of these flowering shoots are shown in cross section: in centre of each is a solid axis of the receptacle - the conical end of the flower axis - and arranged in a circle at the periphery can be seen several small seeds marking the position of the fertile scales among the more numerous interseminal scales. This specimen affords a good example of what is known as a monocarpic plant: all the flowers are at the same stage of development, an indication that the stem had reached the critical stage in its life when it was petrified" : Well don't forget that the book was published in 1959 and many theories have been improved by now so don't take all said as a certain fact. For example, now we know does shoots are not "flowers" but a different reproductive organ. : If Marion's find (which was found in the northern SF Bay Area) is proven to be a cycadoid, intriguing questions show up: : 1) Cycad are terrestrial plants, so was there a Cretaceous island the SF Bay Area? (!) : 2) If the area were the fossil was found is not Cretaceous, did cycadoid not get extinct at the end of the Mezoic as current Paleobotanists theory? : 3) If that fossil "drifted" from a Cretaceous continetal region to a marine region where Marion found it, how come such a high level of fossil preservation be maintained? : This is exciting!!! Any other comments will be greatly appreciated.
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