This is the “Fossil Friday” post #219.  Expect this to be a somewhat regular feature of the website.  We will post any fossil pictures you send in to esconi.info@gmail.com.  Please include a short description or story.  Check the #FossilFriday Twitter hash tag for contributions from around the world!

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Neuropteris vermicularis is a seed fern (see Mazon Monday #95).  It was described by Leo Lesquereux in 1866.  Lesquereux described much of the North American Carboniferous flora in the mid 1800’s as a consultant to various US state geological surveys.  His book “Atlas to the Coal Flora of Pennsylvania and the Carboniferous Formation throughout the United States” written from 1879 to 1884 was the standard reference for the Carboniferous flora in the US for many years.  Lesquereux is credited with naming “Mazon Creek” in his 1870 “Report on the Fossil Plants of Illinois”, when he inadvertently referred to the Mazon River as a creek.

Quite often, the terminal pinnule of N. vermicularis is preserved along with the whole frond.  In this case, we have just the distinctive terminal pinnule.  This specimen was collected from the Pit 2 locality and opened via the freeze/thaw method.