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Early Devonian plant with elaborate branching
Early Devonian plant with elaborate branching
Pertica is an extinct leafless stem euphyllophyte ("trimerophyte") that was very tall for the time in which it lived (Early Devonian). The plant had distinct nodes and internodes, similar to those of horsetails. Pertica may be an intermediate taxon between early-branching forms (i.e., Psilophyton) and woody plants (lignophyte) plants, such as Tetraxylopteris
Named by Kasper and Andrews (1972) from compression fossils found in the Trout Valley Formation of northern Maine. In 1985, Pertica was named the state fossil of Maine.
Stems
Stems
This plant was strongly pseudomonopodial with a main upright stem and complex dichotomous branching in lateral axes.
Similar morphology to Psilophyton, but taller (1-3 m in height); probably the largest plants on the Early Devonian landscape
Primary axes have spiral branching, so they appear quadriseriate (branches are four distinct rows)
Distinct internodes between secondary branches
Secondary branches emerging in pairs or near whorls
Subsequent branch orders may be dichotomous or pseudomonopodial
Branches covered in fine enations or hairs.
Anatomy: internal structure unknown due to compression
Leaves
Leaves
No leaves
Reproductive Structures
Reproductive Structures
Axes terminate in clusters of many elongate homosporous sporangia
Diversity
Diversity
Pertica dalhousii † (Doran, Gensel and Andrews 1978)
Pertica quadrifaria † (Kasper and Andrews 1972)
Pertica varia † (Granoff, Gensel and Andrews 1976)
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