Fossil Tree Fern "Osmundacaulis pruchnikki" – Lune River Tasmania – Rare and unusual Early Jurassic Forest circa 182 Million years old.

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Fossil Tree Fern “Osmundacaulis pruchnikki” – Lune River Tasmania – Rare and unusual Early Jurassic Forest circa 182 Million years old.

Short Description

A significant piece in terms of size and quality of petrified tree fern “Osmundacaulis pruchnikki” from the Lune River area deep in the southern reaches of Tasmania.

The dating of this location to the middle of the early Jurassic Period (182 Ma) was by isotopic measurements on zircons found in the volcanic sandstone hosting the fossils (Bromfield et al 2007). Also refer the excellent recently updated guide by P. Manchester.

A substantial example weighing 362gm length circa 11cm – by 5cm by 5cm. The extremity is cleaved in the centre of the oval plant core and the core can be seen clearly on top and running down the side.

This region is the area of the world where these plants developed. Twelve tree paratypes (arborescent) ferns and one bracken-like (rhizomatous) fern have been studied in the region. All of the tree ferns belong to the genus Osmundacaulis. This paratype exhbits numerous clear and tight trachioles

The species evolved in this region, the Australian portion of Pangea, which was on the cusp of breaking up circa 200 million years ago. Gradually osmundacaaulis have spread elsewhere, but are limited in the Northern Hemisphere; they appear in North West USA .. whilst examples were only discovered in Eurasia in the year 2000 in northern China.

Significant fossil tree fern from Jurassic Tasmania.

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