Umkomasia


Umkomasia is a genus of seed bearing organs produced by corystosperm seed ferns, first based on fossils collected by Hamshaw Thomas from the Burnera Waterfall locality near the Umkomaas River of South Africa. He recognized on the basis of cuticular similarities that the same plant produced pollen organs Pteruchus and the leaves Dicroidium. Various other corystosperm seed bearing organs from the Jurassic and Cretaceous have been assigned to this genus, but recently have been given distinct genera, with Umkomasia being restricted to the Triassic.
File:Umkomasia macleani reconstruction.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Umkomasia macleanii reconstruction with pollen organs and leaves from the Late Triassic, Molteno Formation of South Africa

Description

Umkomasia has helmet like cupules around ovules born in complex large branching structures.

Whole plant associations