This is the "Fossil Friday" post #250. Expect this to be a somewhat regular feature of the website. We will post any fossil pictures you send in to [email protected]. Please include a short description or story. Check the hash tag #FossilFriday on Twitter/X and Bluesky for contributions from around the world!
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Today, we’re featuring a beautiful specimen of Alethopteris sullivantii (see Mazon Monday #37). This extinct seed fern (Pteridospermatophyta) belonged to a group of plants that disappeared during the late Cretaceous Period. The species was first described by Leo Lesquereux in 1869 and named in honor of William Starling Sullivant (1803–1873), an American botanist and close colleague of Lesquereux. Together, they co-authored two editions of Musci Boreali-Americani Quorum Specimina Exsiccata (1856, 1865), a work documenting mosses native to eastern North America.
This specimen of Alethopteris sullivantii is preserved in 3 dimensions, which is common with all Alethopteris species. Jeremy Zimmerman, who is currently serving as our Field Trip Chairman, had this strikingly beautiful fossil on display at the Mazon Creek Fossil Day in October 2024. Thanks for sharing, Jeremy!
