Seed ferns from the European Triassic – an overview

This paper describes the state of understanding of the three different groups of seed ferns found in European Triassic floras: Peltaspermales, Corystospermales and Caytoniales. During the Triassic the Peltaspermales (Scytophyllum, Lepidopteris, Peltaspermum, Antevsia) are the most abundant and diverse seed fern group in Europe. The Caytoniales (Sagenopteris) and the Corystospermales (Pachypteris, Umkomasia) occur less commonly in these floras. An important Triassic genus is Ptilozamites with several species (Ptilozamites sandbergeri, P. heeri, P. blasii, P. nilssonii); unfortunately, it is still unclear to which order this genus belongs. Some additional putative seed fern species also exist in the Triassic (e.g., Pseudodanaeopsis aberi, Tongchuanophyllum sp., Hydropterangium marsilioides, Anthrophyopsis crassinervis). We also provide a general overview of the chronostratigraphic and paleogeographic position of all these taxa.