封印木(學名:Sigillaria)是一屬已滅絕的石松類,為高大的樹狀蕨類,生長在炎熱潮濕的沼澤地帶中。在石炭紀時頗為興盛,和鱗木、蘆木等一同形成了廣大的蕨類雨林。它們的高度可達30公尺。[2]其遺骸在地底下經長久的化學及物理作用後,形成現代人類最重要的燃料資源煤炭及天然氣。
特徵
封印木的植物體高大粗壯,可長至30米的高度。[2]像柱子一樣筆直的樹幹大多沒有分枝[3],僅在頂端形成二歧分枝的樹冠,呈螺旋狀排列[3]的狹長葉片[4]布滿樹冠的枝條,使整株植物體貌似一個高大的叉形瓶刷。樹幹表面具有縱向排列的密集六角形葉座[2],形成規則的蜂巢狀,這些葉座有氣孔,含有葉綠素。因此據推測其軀幹可能是綠色的。由孢子葉聚集而成的孢子葉球著生於樹幹分叉處的上部,孢子囊位於每片孢子葉的腋部,內含孢子。封印木和許多古老的石松類一樣,生命週期相對較短,會在幾年內迅速增長至成熟。有些學者認為封印木是一次結實植物,意味著它們在繁殖後便會凋亡,儘管此假設尚未得到證實。[4]
物種[5]
- Sigillaria alveolaris Brongniart (1828)
- Sigillaria barbata Weiss (1887)
- Sigillaria bicostata Weiss (1887)
- Sigillaria boblayi Brongniart (1828)
- Sigillaria brardii Brongniart (1828)
- Sigillaria cancriformis Weiss (1887)
- Sigillaria cristata Sauveur (1848)
- Sigillaria cumulata Weiss (1887)
- Sigillaria davreuxii Brongniart (1828)
- Sigillaria densifolia Brongniart (1836)
- Sigillaria elegans Sternberg (1825)
- Sigillaria elongata Brongniart (1824)
- Sigillaria fossorum Weiss (1887)
- Sigillaria hexagona Brongniart (1828)
- Sigillaria loricata Weiss (1887)
- Sigillaria mammiliaris Brongniart (1824)
- Sigillaria menardi Brongniart (1828)
- Sigillaria micaudi (Zeller (1886-1888)
- Sigillaria monostigma Lesquereux (1866)
- Sigillaria orbicularis Brongniart (1828)
- Sigillaria ovata Sauveur (1848)
- Sigillaria pachyderma Brongniart (1828)
- Sigillaria principes Weiss (1881)
- Sigillaria reticulata Lesquereux (1860)
- Sigillaria rugosa Brongniart (1828)
- Sigillaria saulii Brongniart (1836)
- Sigillaria schotheimiana Brongniart (1836)
- Sigillaria scutellata Brongniart (1822)
- Sigillaria sillimanni Brongniart (1828)
- Sigillaria tesselata Brongniart (1828)
- Sigillaria transversalis Brongniart (1828)
- Sigillaria trigona Sternberg (1826)
- Sigillaria voltzii Brongniart (1828)
圖片
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藝術家筆下的封印木復原圖
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於賓夕法尼亞州立博物館展出的封印木化石
-
於賓夕法尼亞州立博物館展出的封印木樹皮化石
參考文獻
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