Ruffordia
| Ruffordia Temporal range: [1] | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A Brazilian fossil of Ruffordia at the Senckenberg Museum of Frankfurt in Germany | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Embryophytes |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Division: | Polypodiophyta |
| Class: | Polypodiopsida |
| Order: | Schizaeales |
| Family: | Schizaeaceae |
| Genus: | †Ruffordia Seward |
| Species | |
| |
Ruffordia is an extinct genus of cosmopolitan ferns that thrived during the Mesozoic[2] and Cenozoic Eras, particularly from the Jurassic through the Cretaceous periods with the last species dying out during the Eocene.[3][4] It was notable for being a widespread and abundant ground cover in open, savanna-like ecosystems, especially in regions dominated by gymnosperms[5][4] and early angiosperms.[4] Ecologically, Ruffordia was quite similar to the modern Bracken fern (Pteridium), which also forms dense, clonal colonies across open habitats.[6][7] Despite this similarity, it was closer phylogenetically to Schizaeales.[8][4] Three species are known, Ruffordia gopperti, Ruffordia acrodenta[9] and Ruffordia subcretacea.[3]
Ecology
[edit]Ruffordia likely was adapted for colonization of disturbed freshwater swamp plains, taking advantage of the destruction of competitor plants.[10] There is also evidence of Ruffordia acting as a host species for galling insects.[10]
Distribution
[edit]Fossils are known from New Zealand, China, Peru, Brazil,[4] Canada, Spain, Belgium, The United States, Madagascar, South Korea and Germany.[11]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Eckfeld Maar (NHMM collection) (Eocene of Germany)". PBDB.org.
- ↑ Dettmann, Mary E.; Clifford, H. Trevor (1992-01-01). "Phylogeny and biogeography of Ruffordia, Mohria and Anemia (Schizaeaceae) and Ceratopteris (Pteridaceae): evidence from in situ and dispersed spores". Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology. 16 (4): 269–314. Bibcode:1992Alch...16..269D. doi:10.1080/03115519208619111. ISSN 0311-5518.
- 1 2 Wilde, Volker; Frankenhäuser, Herbert (1998-06-01). "The Middle Eocene plant taphocoenosis from Eckfeld (Eifel, Germany)". Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology. 101 (1): 7–28. Bibcode:1998RPaPa.101....7W. doi:10.1016/S0034-6667(97)00067-5. ISSN 0034-6667.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Mohr, Barbara A. R.; Bernardes-de-Oliveira, Mary E. C.; Loveridge, Robert; Pons, Denise; Sucerquia, Paula Andréa; Castro-Fernandes, Maria C. (2015-05-01). "Ruffordia goeppertii (Schizaeales, Anemiaceae) – A common fern from the Lower Cretaceous Crato Formation of northeast Brazil". Cretaceous Research. 54: 17–26. Bibcode:2015CrRes..54...17M. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2014.11.006. ISSN 0195-6671.
- ↑ Kim, Jong-Heon; Nam, Kye-Soo; Lee, Seong-Bok; Jeon, Yeong-Seok (2016-09-30). "Fossil Plants from the Early Cretaceous Hasandong Formation of Chilgok Area, Korea". Journal of the Korean Earth Science Society. 37 (5): 295–308. doi:10.5467/jkess.2016.37.5.295. ISSN 1225-6692.
- ↑ Alonso-Amelot, Miguel E.; Rodulfo-Baechler, Serbia (1996-08-01). "Comparative spatial distribution, size, biomass and growth rate of two varieties of bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum L. Kuhn) in a neotropical montane habitat". Vegetatio. 125 (2): 137–147. doi:10.1007/BF00044647. ISSN 0042-3106.
- ↑ Dodonov, Pavel; Xavier, Rafael de Oliveira; Matos, Dalva Maria da Silva (2023-12-01). "Temporal dynamics of the superdominant bracken fern Pteridium arachnoideum in Neotropical savanna-riparian forest transitions". Rodriguésia. 74 e00432023. doi:10.1590/2175-7860202374078. ISSN 0370-6583.
- ↑ Smith, Alan R.; Pryer, Kathleen M.; Schuettpelz, Eric; Korall, Petra; Schneider, Harald; Wolf, Paul G. (2008-06-19), "Fern classification", in Ranker, Tom A.; Haufler, Christopher H. (eds.), Biology and Evolution of Ferns and Lycophytes (1 ed.), Cambridge University Press, pp. 417–467, doi:10.1017/cbo9780511541827.017, ISBN 978-0-521-87411-3, retrieved 2026-03-27
- ↑ Knowlton, F. H. (1919). "A catalogue of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic plants of North America". United States Geological Survey Bulletin: 1. Bibcode:1919usgs.rept....1K. doi:10.3133/b696.
- 1 2 Sender, Luis M.; Villanueva-Amadoz, Uxue; Wappler, Torsten; Diez, José B.; Cobos, Alberto (2025-02-01). "Colonisation of disturbed deltaic paleoenvironments from the Early Cretaceous (Albian): Inferences from an exceptional record of the fern Ruffordia goeppertii (Dunker) Seward from northeastern Spain". Cretaceous Research. 166 106018. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2024.106018. ISSN 0195-6671.
- ↑ "†Ruffordia Seward 1894 (fern)". PBDB.org.
 | This article related to a Mesozoic plant is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |