Emplectopteridaceae is an extinct family of
pteridosperms ("seed ferns") known mainly from
Permian
The Permian ( ) is a geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system which spans 47 million years, from the end of the Carboniferous Period million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Triassic Period 251.902 Mya. It is the s ...
floras of the
Cathaysian Realm (corresponding to modern
East Asia
East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of Economy of China, China, Economy of Ja ...
). They were mostly shrubby plants with a scrambling or upright habit, and favoured a range of habitats from arid to moist or even aquatic.
The foliage is the most abundant known remains of this family, having been reported from
Artinskian
In the geologic timescale, the Artinskian is an age (geology), age or stage (stratigraphy), stage of the Permian. It is a subdivision of the Cisuralian Epoch (geology), Epoch or series (stratigraphy), Series. The Artinskian likely lasted between ...
to
Wuchiapingian
In the geologic timescale, the Wuchiapingian or Wujiapingian (from in the Liangshan area of Hanzhong, Shaanxi Province ) is an age or stage of the Permian. It is also the lower or earlier of two subdivisions of the Lopingian Epoch or S ...
macrofloras of both north and south
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
.
[Shen Guanlong. 1995, Permian floras. ''In'' Li Xingxue, Zhou Zhiyan, Cai Chongyang, Sun Ge, Ouyang Shu & Deng Longhua (eds) ''Fossil floras of China through the geological ages.'' Guandong Science and Technology Press, Guandong, pp. 127-223.][Glasspool, I. J., Hilton, J., Collinson, M. E., Wang Shijun & Li Chengsen. 2004. Foliar physiognomy in Cathaysian gigantopterids and the potential to track Palaeozoic climates using an extinct plant group. ''Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology,'' 205, 69-110.] Their
venation
Venation may refer to:
* Venation (botany), the arrangement of veins in leaves
* Wing venation, the arrangement of veins in insect wings
See also
*
* Vernation
Vernation or leafing is the formation of new leaves or fronds. In plant anatomy, it ...
is characteristically