Osmunda wehrii
Encyclopedia
Osmunda wehrii is an extinct
species
of fern
in the modern Osmundaceae
family genus Osmunda
. Osmunda wehrii is known from Langhian
age Miocene
fossil
s found in Central Washington.
rhizomes and frond bases in blocks of chert
. The cherts were recovered from sediments outcropping near the contact of the Roza Basalts and the overlying Priest Rapids Basalts, designated the type locality
, near the town of Beverly, Washington
by Fred Brinkman of Sunnyside, Washington
. Further specimens of O. wehrii have been found at the "Ho ho" site, one of the "county line hole" fossil localities north of Interstate 82
in Yakima County, Washington
. The "Ho ho" site works strata which is part of the Museum Flow Package within the interbeds of the Sentinel Bluffs Unit of the central Columbia Plateau N2 Grande Ronde Basalt, Columbia River Basalt Group
. The Museum Flow Package interbeds are dated to the middle Miocene
and are approximately 15.6 million years old.
The holotype
specimens, two pieces of the same chert specimen containing rhizomes and frond bases, are preserved in the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture
as specimen numbers "4772" and "4773". The specimens of chert were studied by paleobotanists Charles N. Miller jr of University of Montana. Miller published his 1982 type description for Osmunda wehrii in the American Journal of Botany
volume 69 article "Osmunda wehrii, a New Species Based on Petrified Rhizomes from the Miocene of Washington". In his type description he noted the etymology
for the specific epithet
wehrii, in honor of Wesley C. Wehr
who made the type specimens available to Miller for study.
.
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of fern
Fern
A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
in the modern Osmundaceae
Osmundaceae
The Osmundaceae is a family of four genera and 15-25 species. It is the only fern family of the order Osmundales; an order in the class Pteridopsida or in some classifications the only order in the class Osmundopsida...
family genus Osmunda
Osmunda
Osmunda is a genus of primarily temperate-zone ferns of family Osmundaceae. Five to ten species have been listed for this genus.The species have completely dimorphic fronds or pinnae , green photosynthetic sterile fronds, and non-photosynthetic spore-bearing fertile pinnae, with large, naked...
. Osmunda wehrii is known from Langhian
Langhian
The Langhian is, in the ICS geologic timescale, an age or stage in the middle Miocene epoch/series. It spans the time between 15.97 ± 0.05 Ma and 13.65 ± 0.05 Ma . The Langhian was a continuing warming period defined by Lorenzo Pareto in 1864, it was originally established in the Langhe area north...
age Miocene
Miocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s found in Central Washington.
History and classification
The species was described from specimens of silicifiedPetrifaction
In geology, petrifaction, petrification or silicification is the process by which organic material is converted into stone by impregnation with silica. It is a rare form of fossilization...
rhizomes and frond bases in blocks of chert
Chert
Chert is a fine-grained silica-rich microcrystalline, cryptocrystalline or microfibrous sedimentary rock that may contain small fossils. It varies greatly in color , but most often manifests as gray, brown, grayish brown and light green to rusty red; its color is an expression of trace elements...
. The cherts were recovered from sediments outcropping near the contact of the Roza Basalts and the overlying Priest Rapids Basalts, designated the type locality
Type locality (geology)
Type locality , also called type area or type locale, is the where a particular rock type, stratigraphic unit, fossil or mineral species is first identified....
, near the town of Beverly, Washington
Beverly, Washington
Beverly, Washington is a small community along the banks of the Columbia River in central Washington state. The community, which consists of a few hundred residents, is just a few miles downriver from Wanapum Dam and is nestled at the base of what locals call Sentinel Gap, a huge basalt formation...
by Fred Brinkman of Sunnyside, Washington
Sunnyside, Washington
Sunnyside is a city in Yakima County, Washington, United States. As of the 2010 Census the population was 15,858.-History:On September 16, 1902, residents voted 42 to one to incorporate as the town of Sunnyside. By state law a town needed to have 300 citizens in order to legally incorporate...
. Further specimens of O. wehrii have been found at the "Ho ho" site, one of the "county line hole" fossil localities north of Interstate 82
Interstate 82
Interstate 82 is a Interstate Highway that extends from I-90 in Ellensburg, Washington to I-84 near Umatilla, Oregon in the United States. In the state of Washington, it serves the cities of Ellensburg, Yakima, and the Tri Cities , and in Oregon, it serves Umatilla and Hermiston...
in Yakima County, Washington
Yakima County, Washington
Yakima County is the second largest county by area in the U.S. state of Washington. It is named after the Yakama tribe of Native Americans. In the 2010 census, its population was 243,231...
. The "Ho ho" site works strata which is part of the Museum Flow Package within the interbeds of the Sentinel Bluffs Unit of the central Columbia Plateau N2 Grande Ronde Basalt, Columbia River Basalt Group
Columbia River Basalt Group
The Columbia River Basalt Group is a large igneous province that lies across parts of the Western United States. It is found in the U.S. states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, and California...
. The Museum Flow Package interbeds are dated to the middle Miocene
Middle Miocene
The Middle Miocene is a sub-epoch of the Miocene Epoch made up of two stages: the Langhian and Serravallian stages. The Middle Miocene is preceded by the Early Miocene....
and are approximately 15.6 million years old.
The holotype
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
specimens, two pieces of the same chert specimen containing rhizomes and frond bases, are preserved in the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture
Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture
The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture has been a Washington state museum since 1899. It is located at the University of Washington campus at the intersection of N.E. 45th Street and 17th Avenue N.E. in Seattle, Washington, USA, in the University District. It is the only major natural...
as specimen numbers "4772" and "4773". The specimens of chert were studied by paleobotanists Charles N. Miller jr of University of Montana. Miller published his 1982 type description for Osmunda wehrii in the American Journal of Botany
American Journal of Botany
The American Journal of Botany is a peer-reviewed scientific journal which includes research papers on all aspects of plant biology. It is published by the Botanical Society of America on a monthly basis since 1914....
volume 69 article "Osmunda wehrii, a New Species Based on Petrified Rhizomes from the Miocene of Washington". In his type description he noted the etymology
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
for the specific epithet
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
wehrii, in honor of Wesley C. Wehr
Wesley C. Wehr
Wesley Conrad Wehr was an American paleontologist and artist best known for his studies of Tertiary fossil floras in western North America, the Stonerose Interpretive Center, and as a part of the Northwest School of art.-Early life:...
who made the type specimens available to Miller for study.
Description
Wessiea possesses rhizomes which are approximately 4 centimetres (1.6 in) in diameter. The fossils have distinct stipular frond bases characteristic of the family Osmundaceae, while the interior of the fronds show distinct long fibers in the frond bases are both representative of the modern genus Osmunda. It is found in the chert blocks intertwined with the extinct genus Wessiea yakimaensis and anatomically preserved Woodwardia virginica, which still lives in the forests of eastern coastal North AmericaNorth America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.