''Pteruchus'' is a form genus for pollen organs of the seed fern (

Pteridospermatophyta Pteridospermatophyta, also called pteridosperms or seed ferns, are a polyphyletic grouping of extinct seed-producing plants. The earliest fossil evidence for plants of this type are the lyginopterids of late Devonian age. They flourished partic ...

family Umkomasiaceae. It was first described by Hamshaw Thomas from the Umkomaas locality of South Africa. It is associated with the seed bearing organs ''

Umkomasia ''Umkomasia'' is a genus of seed bearing organs produced by corystosperm seed ferns, first based on fossils collected by Hamshaw Thomas from the Burnera Waterfall locality near the Umkomaas River of South Africa. He recognized on the basis of ...

'' and ''

Dicroidium ''Dicroidium'' is an extinct genus of fork-leaved seed plants. It is the archetypal genus of the corystosperms, an extinct group of seed plants, often called " seed ferns", assigned to the order Corystospermales or Umkomasiales. Species of ''Dic ...

'' leaves. Umkomasia macleani reconstruction

Description

The pollen organ ''Pteruchus'' differs from other seed fern pollen organs in having numerous pendant pollen sacs from a blade-like head, in an arrangement similar to an epaulette.

Whole plant reconstructions

*''

Pteruchus africanus ''Pteruchus africanus'' is a pollen organ of a seed fern (Pteridospermatophyta). It was first described by Hamshaw Thomas from the Umkomaas locality of South Africa. Description The pollen organs ''Pteruchus africanus'' differ from other spe ...

'' may have been produced by the same plant as '' Umkomasia macleanii'' (ovulate organs) and ''

Dicroidium odontopteroides ''Dicroidium odontopteroides'' was a common and widespread species of '' Dicroidium'' known from South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, South America and Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. S ...

'' (leaves), based on cuticular similarities between these leaves and reproductive structures at the Umkomaas locality of South Africa. *'' Pteruchus barrealensis'' may have been produced by the same plant as ''

Umkomasia feistmantelii ''Umkomasia feistmantelii'' is an unusually large species of ''Umkomasia'' from the Early Triassic of New South Wales, Australia. Description ''Umkomasia feistmantelii'' is found both with cupules enclosing the large seeds and with cupules ...

'' (ovulate organs) and ''

Dicroidium zuberi ''Dicroidium zuberi'' is a large bipinnate species of the seed fern '' Dicroidium'' with a forked rachis. The leaves are affiliated with ''Umkomasia feistmantellii'' megasporophylls and ''Petruchus'' ''barrealensis'' microsporophylls. ''D. zu ...

'' (leaves), based on cuticular similarities between these leaves and reproductive structures near Sydney Australia. *''Pteruchus septentrionalis'' from the Lower Jurassic of Germany has been placed in the separate genus '' Muelkirchium.''

References

Triassic plants Pteridospermatophyta {{triassic-plant-stub