Description

About Parka decipiens

Physical Description

Parka decipiens, the strange Palaeozoic plant fossil. This plant could grow up to about 8 cm. It is easily reconized because of the honeycomb-like structures which make up the body of the plant. The exact function is still not fully known. It has been suggested that it may be related to spore dispersal. The shape of the plant may vary a lot, from a small blob to a leaf shape looking object. Some specimens also show something that could be regarded as its stem (where it connected to the ground with). Before Parka was identified as a plant, people thought it have have been eggs from some kind of animal.

 Age and Distribution

Parka decipiens a strange plant found in upper Silurian and lower Devonian beds. It has been said that Parka fossils are found in multiple places across the world. I only know of the one area. These specimens are from the Devonian of Central Scotland.

About the Parka decipiens is a Charophyceae?

Evolutionary Significance

It is still not know to which family these plants belong to. They have features of liverworts and certain algae and could be related to them. For that reason they have been placed in the Charophyceae family.(Algae). It has also been suggested that these plants may have been from an enigmatic group of failed land plants (they lost the battle to conquer the land to other families)

Taxonomy

Parka decipiens has been placed in the Charophycaea family but this could change after more research is done on these plant fossils. At this moment there are no other known Parka species from any time period.