Rob Gess, Albany Museum
Left: Detail at left of a cluster of 4 mm long spore capsules of Mtshaelo kougaensis, a new species of 420 million year old plant from South Africa; Right: Elandia itshoba, a 25 mm high single axis of a new species of 420 million year old primitive plant from South Africa
Publication today of “An early Devonian flora from the Baviaanskloof Formation (Table Mountain Group) of South Africa” by Dr Rob Gess (of the Albany Museum’s Devonian Lab) and Dr Cyrille Prestianni (of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences) constitutes a landmark in our understanding of the development of high latitude Devonian Ecosystems. It provides a record of the oldest flora in Africa.
Whilst Dr Gess’ published research up until now has shed light on Late Devonian (+/- 360 million year old) ecosystems, the new paper opens a window into high latitude life 420 million years ago, at the dawn of diversification of life on land.
Rocks of late Silurian to early Devonian age contain the earliest records of plant remains, preceded only by enigmatic plant-like spores. Plants at the time included probable relatives of mosses, as well as the primitive ancestors of ‘higher plants.’ These plants, generally less than 20 centimetres high, lived close to the water’s edge. They lacked leaves or complex rooting systems and largely consisted of branching photosynthetic stalks topped by a variety of spore containers: resembling miniature vuvuzelas, balls, clubs and castanets.
Left: Whole plant reconstruction of Mtshaelo kougaensis, a new species of 420 million year old plant from South Africa, showing branched axes topprd by clusters of spore capsules; Right: Krommia parvapila, a 25 mm high specimen of a new species of 420 million year old plant from South Africa.
Fossil sites with records of plants of this age are however extremely rare with only about 23 previously known from around the world. Most of these came from areas that were tropical during the Devonian, and generally preserved only one or a few species. The only reported floras previously from within the Devonian polar region were sparse remains from South America (which together with southern Africa formed that part of Gondwana that surrounded the South Pole). Until now only one species of plant this age was known from South Africa, having been described in the 1930s.
The new site discovered and excavated by Dr Gess near Humansdorp proves to be one of the most diverse in the world, with 15 species identified in this paper. Three of these represent genera and species formerly unknown to Science and named in this paper as: Krommia parvapila, Elandia itshoba and Mtshaelo kougaensis. Many of the plants are far more completely preserved than those normally found from this age, with a number of very small plants being exquisitely presereved. Dr Gess hopes that his ongoing excavation of the sites will provide even more insights into this pivotal time period.
A beautifully preserved 51 mm high entire Uskiella spargens, a 420 million year old plant also known from Wales and Australia
The study forms part of the work of the Devonian Ecosystems Project which is sponsored by the Millennium Trust, the DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Palaeosciences, the NRF, and the NSCF and is based at the Albany Museum in Makhanda.
Much of the collaboration on this paper occurred during Cyrille Prestianni’s visit to South Africa in 2019, which was sponsored by the NSCF.
Paper is available on Nature.com.