''Weichselia'' is an extinct genus of

fern The ferns (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) are a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissue ...

. They were abundant from the

Middle Jurassic The Middle Jurassic is the second Epoch (geology), epoch of the Jurassic Period (geology), Period. It lasted from about 174.1 to 161.5 million years ago. Fossils of land-dwelling animals, such as dinosaurs, from the Middle Jurassic are relativel ...

Early Cretaceous The Early Cretaceous (geochronology, geochronological name) or the Lower Cretaceous (chronostratigraphy, chronostratigraphic name) is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous. It is usually considered to stretch from 143.1 ...

.''Weichselia''
at

The Paleobiology Database The Paleobiology Database (PBDB) is an online resource for information on the distribution and classification of fossil animals, plants, and microorganisms. History The Paleobiology Database originated in the NCEAS-funded Phanerozoic Marine Pale ...

While generally supposed to have affinities to

Matoniaceae Matoniaceae is one of the three families of ferns in the Gleicheniales order of the Polypodiopsida class. Fossil records reveal that Matoniaceae ferns were abundant during the Mesozoic era (about 250-million to 66-million years ago), during which ...

, some research has suggested that they have closer affinites to the

Marattiales Marattiaceae is the only family of extant (living) ferns in the order Marattiales. In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), Marattiales is the only order in the subclass Marattiidae. The family has six genera and about ...

, though its morphology is strongly divergent from both of these groups. They are thought to have grown similar to modern

tree ferns Tree ferns are arborescent (tree-like) ferns that grow with a trunk elevating the fronds above ground level, making them trees. Many extant tree ferns are members of the order Cyatheales, to which belong the families Cyatheaceae (scaly tree fern ...

, with an upright stem topped with a crown of fronds. The genus filled multiple ecological niches, such as being the primary mangrove tree for millions of years.

Evolutionary history

The genus first appeared in the Middle Jurassic with remains found in North Africa and Georgia. During the Early-mid Cretaceous, the genus had a wide distribution, having been found in Europe, East Asia, the Indian subcontinent, North Africa, southern North America and northern South America. The youngest remains of the genus are known from the early Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) of Europe and North Africa. Remains are found in both continental and marginal marine deposits.

Ecology

''Weichselia'' has been interpreted as being xeromorphic, and has been suggested that they grew in savannah and/or coastal environments. It has also been suggested that they were primary colonisers following the destruction of pre-existing vegetation.

References

Bibliography

* Gleicheniales Middle Jurassic first appearances Early Cretaceous genus extinctions Mesozoic life of Africa Mesozoic life of Europe Mesozoic life of North America Cretaceous United States Prehistoric plants of South America Early Cretaceous life of South America Mesozoic Peru Cretaceous Colombia {{Polypodiidae-stub