Identify plant fossil devonian

[paleohobbe]

Please, I would like that help me identify the fossil of photo. I got as Nematophyllum forfarnse of Old Red Sandstone, Devonian Period, Carmyllie Series, Forfar, Angus, Scotland. But I think that the identification is wrong, as far as I know the genre Nematophyllum is belongs to the family Fabaceae (http://zipcodezoo.com/Plants/N/Nematophyllum_angustum/) which is a modern group of plants that emerged 74 to 79 million years ago, ie in the Cretaceous. I think it's Nematothallus or Nematophyton? Can you help me?

Thanks

[Duys]

Paleohobbe,
Reminds me of Cordaites, http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/2732441
seems there is a relative growing in the Devonian,
anyway, can't help much here!
Duys

[ziepe]

Hi Carlos,

unfortunately my knowledge of Devonian plants is very restricted, but I found some usefull information regarding the genus Nematophyllum. Henry Andrews' description (Decription found in Index of Generic Names of Fossil Plants 1820-1965, based on the Compendium Index of Paleobotany of the U.S. Geological Survey) refers to the 'Nematophyllites':

"NEMATOPHYLLUM Fontaine and White, 1880.
Nematophyllum angustum Fontaine and White, 1880, p. 35, pi. 2, figs. 1-5; apparently close to Asterophyllites; Waynesburg Coal, Pennsylvanian or Permian(?); West Union, West Vir- ginia, U.S.A., See Nematophyllites."

Nematophyllum Fontaine & White, 1880 belongs to the Equisetales order, some primitive fern-like plants. One of the families belonging to the Equisotales is Calamitaceae (well known from the Carboniferous) and there are some visible resemblences to that (younger) genus.

Kingdom: Plantae
- Phylum: Equisetophyta
-- Class: Equisetopsida
--- Order: Equisetales
---- Genus: Nematophyllum

After doing some reading on this genus it appears that it is somehow obsolete or outdated. (For example there is no reference in the Paleobotany tome by Taylor, Taylor and krings) I found some interesting information provided by Gillespie et al. (1975):

"Furthermore, they proposed that Nematophyllites Miller (= Nematophyllum Fontaine & White) should be replaced by Asterophyllites longifolius (Sternberg) Brongniart, a conclusion which is not immediately apparent from the illustrations in Fontaine & White’s memoir."

As you can read there are some contradictions in the definitions I found; personally I'd look up early forms (Devonian) of the Equisetales order, I'll bet you'll find a suiting answer there.

Ziepe.

PS: The name Nematophyllum is ambiguous and also refers to some kind of Arthropod from the family Hymenoceridae and also represents a genus of sea-nettles (Cnidaria).

[paleohobbe]

Thank you for the information.