Sphenopteris is a genus of seed ferns containing the foliage of various extinct plants, ranging from the Devonian to Late Cretaceous.[1][2] One species, S. höninghausi, was transferred to the genus Crossotheca in 1911.[3]
| Sphenopteris | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Sphenopteris specimen found in Carboniferous rocks in Loire-Atlantique department, France | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Division: | †Pteridospermatophyta |
| Class: | †Lyginopteridopsida |
| Order: | †Lyginopteridales |
| Family: | †Lyginopteridaceae |
| Genus: | †Sphenopteris Sternberg 1825 |
| Species | |
| |
Biology
The frond of Sphenopteris could be up to 20 inches (51 cm) long.[1]
Distribution
In Brazil, fossil of form genus Sphenopteris was located in outcrop Morro Papalé in the city of Mariana Pimentel. They are in the geopark Paleorrota in Rio Bonito Formation and date from Sakmarian in Permian.[4] Fossils of Sphenopteris have also been found in the Valle Alto Formation, Caldas, Colombia, among many other locations.[5]