Sanfordiacaulis
| Sanfordiacaulis Temporal range:
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| A reconstruction of Sanfordiacaulis | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophyta |
| Genus: | †Sanfordiacaulis Gastaldo et al., 2024 |
| Species: | †S. densifolia
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| Binomial name | |
| †Sanfordiacaulis densifolia Gastaldo et al., 2024
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Sanfordiacaulis is an enigmatic genus of early Carboniferous plant from New Brunswick, Canada, described in 2024, distinguished by its unusual crown morphology and known from five specimens.[1][2][3] It was discovered in 2017 near Norton, now part of Valley Waters.[4]
Description
[edit]Sanfordiacaulis is an indeterminate vascular plant, roughly 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in height, with a non-woody stem 16 cm (6.3 in) wide and a crown width of 5 to 6 m (16 to 20 ft). Its leaves are arranged in a tightly packed, non-Fibonacci spiral, with the portion of the trunk bearing leaves estimated to have had over 200 laterals based on petiole distribution.[1]
Etymology
[edit]Sanfordiacaulis's genus name is derived from the quarry containing the specimens and its owner, Laurie Sanford, whereas its specific name, densifolia is derived from the dense arrangement of leaves.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Gastaldo, Robert A.; Gensel, Patricia G.; Glasspool, Ian J.; Hinds, Steven J.; King, Olivia A.; McLean, Duncan; Park, Adrian F.; Stimson, Matthew R.; Stonesifer, Timothy (2 February 2024). "Enigmatic fossil plants with three-dimensional, arborescent-growth architecture from the earliest Carboniferous of New Brunswick, Canada". Current Biology. 34 (4): 781–792.e3. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2024.01.011. PMID 38309270.
- ^ Magazine, Smithsonian; Thorsberg, Christian. "Rare Fossil Shows Trees Looked Very Different 350 Million Years Ago". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
- ^ Horn-Muller, Ayurella (2 February 2024). "Sanfordiacaulis: New ancient tree species looks like it could be from the mind of Dr. Seuss". CNN. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
- ^ Perry, Brad (7 February 2024). "Rare 3D fossilized tree found near Norton". Country 94. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
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