中国科学院南京地质古生物研究所机构知识库

A new plant fossil is reported from the earliest Carboniferous of Jiangsu, China. One main axis and two orders of branching with sterile and fertile appendages are known from compressions. The first-order branches are arranged helically on the main axis. The second-order branches are also arranged helically and consist of axes divided dichotomously up to four times, with some terminated by paired, erect sporangia. The sterile appendages are alternately inserted on the second-order branches and dichotomized up to five times with a sharp, outward-curved tip. A dense terminal branching system is attached on all branches, is composed of the closely arranged small branches, and represents the growing apex. Based on comparison with and differences from established taxa, we name the plant Helicophyton dichotomum gen. et sp. nov. and leave the classification of this plant incertae sedis.