Habit of the Upper Triassic Pekinopteris auriculata

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Abstract
Pekinopteris auriculata, from the Upper Triassic of North Carolina, has once-pinnate leaves attached in crowded fashion on a branched, apparently fleshy rhizome. Some of the leaves may have exceeded 40 cm in length and bear elongated pinnules, each with a main vein and sparse, ascending, anastomosing laterals. Portions of the rhizome bore roots, while other portions lacked them. One possible interpretation is that the proximal part of the rhizome may have been attached to some kind of substrate, with a distal portion that was partially erect or extending away from the substrate. Evidence seems to point toward an affinity of Pekinopteris with the ferns rather than with seed plants. Pekinopteris, along with many other ferns, probably contributed to the 'ground cover' of Upper Triassic landscapes.

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