Some finds of fossil Devonian fungus "Prototaxites"

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Prototaxites, a significant fossil from the Silurian to Devonian periods, resembles tree-sized mushrooms and was once thought to be algae. Recent consensus since 2000 suggests it has fungal affinities or may even be a lichen. Fossils, often found in Europe and North America, display characteristic surface structures and zonation similar to tree rings. Microscopic details reveal hyphae and potential algal symbionts. The fossil is not rare, with notable finds near Bonn, Germany, and in New York. Discussions also touch on the potential for donating samples to museums and the importance of networking within the fossil community for collectors and researchers.
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I show some finds of fossil Devonian fungus "Prototaxites"
Happy new year everybody!
Last year I learned about a fascinating enigmatic fossil from the Silurian and Devonian, maybe even Ordovicium, which bears the name "Prototaxites".
The name was given to it already in the 19th century as it resembles logs of petrified wood up to 8m tall.
It is quite fascinating that, at a time where land plants where at best lousy little shubs, mushrooms as high as trees dominated the landscape.
For the next 100 years or so it was considered to be an algae like kelp, although there were plenty of observations that it was probably living on land. Latest since 2000, it became consensus that it has fungal affinity, or was maybe a lichen.
See the Wikipedia article.

It turns out that it is not even particularly rare. I collected some on a field near the former German capital Bonn, some are shown here:
IMG_6359.JPG

Characteristic surface structures are clearly visible, as well as a characteristic zonation, similar to the annual rings seen in wood.
In one piece cut through, a burrow, probably from an arthropod, is clearly visible.
IMG_6353.JPG


The material is silicified, and sometimes quite well preserved so that even microscopic details become visible in thin sections:
IMG_6267.JPG

One recognizes the hyphae and brown "cortical" spots, which may be related to nests of an algal symbiont if the lichen hypothesis is true.
Between crossed polars, it even looks artistic.
IMG_0178.JPG


It turns out that it is not only widespread in Europe, but also in the new world. The first description is from Gaspé, Kanada, but a famous sample, the so called Schunnemunk tree is from Monroe, New York. So maybe someone in this forum also has some pieces?
 
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DrDu said:
TL;DR Summary: I show some finds of fossil Devonian fungus "Prototaxites"

mushrooms as high as trees dominated the landscape
Well that would be something to see!
 
Greg Bernhardt said:
Well that would be something to see!
... mushrooms as high as trees ...
How could you know you were not hallucinating?
 
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Nice tree, indeed. Many important finds of the Silurian and Devonian, including equisitely preserved coalified Prototaxites were found in the Welsh borderland, which is not far from Manchester. Not in vain have the epocs of the Silurian been named LLandovery, Wenlock and Ludlow. I would love to go on excursion there.
 
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Hey I know this is probably a bit of a stretch and I totally get it if the answer is a definitive no, but are you potentially open to making any of these available for sale? I've been looking around a lot and I haven't been able to really find much else.
 
Welcome to PF.

Become a minor philanthropist. Museums do talk to each other. I think if you are prepared to donate a sample to an educational natural history museum, you could find the name of a collector through the museums that already have samples on display.

Survey all the papers on the subject, identify the authors, the organisations they work with, and the sources of their specimens.

Fossil hunters often need funding, so buying a sample for donation to your museum, should make the contact you need to buy other samples. If the item is wanted by the market, it should be possible to buy samples directly from the fossil hunters, on internet auction sites. Stimulate that industry.
 
Hm, I still have some material, but I would rather prefer to exchange it than to sell it. Best against nematophytes from other sites, but also petrified fungal material.
 
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