Dispersed plant mesofossils from the Permian of Wuda, Inner Mongolia, Taiyuan Formation, China

Abstract

A coal sample from the Lower Permian Taiyuan Formation (Wuda locality, Inner Mongolia, China) was macerated. It yielded two cuticle fragments and many fragments of conducting tissue. One cuticle fragment shows strongly corroded polygonal cells belonging either to a pteridosperm or a cycad. The second fragment is an abaxial cordaitalean cuticle with papillate tetragonal cells and can be compared to Cordaites neimengensis LIU et al. 1998. The conducting tissue are represented by biseriate to quadriseriate tracheid pitting that is typical for cordaitaleans.