A new zosterophyll from the Lower Devonian of Wales

Abstract

A new monotypic genus is described from impression and compression fossils preserved in the Senni Beds of the Lower Old Red Sandstone of S Wales. The new species has scattered reniform lateral sporangia suggesting zosterophyll affinity, but supporting anatomical evidence is lacking. The axes of the plant are characterized by occasional large surface protuberances, sometimes extended into lateral projections of variable length and morphology. Taphonomic factors account for some of the observed features of the fossils, and their unusual orientation in the sediment suggests that Tarella may have grown on exposed point bars.