| Silurian Plants 2 |
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| EXAMPLES OF SILURIAN PLANTS |
| Of all of the eurypterid-bearing waterlimes distributied across New York and Ontario, Canada, only two units have (thus far) yielded an abundance of plant remains. While many may simply be algal forms, during the Late Silurian we are in a great time of transition--the land plants were becoming establised around the world. More importantly, there must have been many trans- itional forms--those difficult to define as simply algae and those making the attempt to conquer new on-land sites. The two important units within the Late Silurian rock sequence are both part of the Bertie Group (1) the Phelps Waterlime of the Fiddlers Green Formation and (2) the stratigraphically higher Williamsville Fm. |
| CIURCA 1001 |
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| CIURCA 1002 |
| CIURCA 1003 |
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| CIURCA 1004 |
| ABOVE: Windrow of eurypterid remains and associated Inocaulis (the "finger plant"), a cephalopod and eurypterid debris. The cepha- lopod (lower right quadrant) is 16.5 cm. long. We need to learn much more about Inocaulis - is it plant or animal? It occurs in simple "Y" shaped forms (as above) and in great clusters, seaweedlike, over one foot in diameter. For an enlarged view of the photo above - CLICK HERE. |
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| CIURCA 2005 |
| ABOVE: Plant or animal? Originally described as a graptolite, this specimen looks more like a lycopod with dichotomous branching and what looks like a rhizome (lower right). I collected this wonderful specimen from the interreef deposits of the Silurian Lockport Group near Brockport, New York. Within this interval, the alga, Medussaegraptus, is the most common form encountered. |
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| AT RIGHT: Medusaegraptus, a dasyclad alga from the Silurian Lockport Group of New York State This fossil plant is generally found in interreef deposits, may have been attached to Silurian reefs and, during storms, may have been ripped off the reefs to be deposited in dolomitic mudstones that were forming in the interreef regions. Abundant fragmentary re- mains cover many bedding planes. |
| Samuel J. Ciurca, Jr., Rochester, New York |