6.5" Fossil Flora (Neuropteris & Mariopteris) Plate - Kentucky

This is a beautiful fossil flora plate that contains both Neuropteris and Mariopteris fern fossils. This plate was collected from the Breathitt Formation of Leslie County, Kentucky. It comes from the Late Carboniferous, Pennsylvanian aged forests that formed the coal shales of Kentucky and Ohio.

Neuropteris is an extinct genus of ferns that reproduced from seed as opposed to sporophyte reproduction of most modern ferns. Mariopteris was a seed fern with relatively small compact fronds which are bifurcated twice. Although it is clear that most mariopterids are seed ferns, their natural affinity remains unclear. Mariopterids obviously had a climbing growth habit. This species, like other mariopteroids, had a vine like growth habit and climbed with specialized climber hooks.

It comes with an acrylic display stand.