Fossil plant (wood) - Fossils from Nicosia, Cyprus

 Fossil wood, also known as fossilized tree, is wood that is preserved in the fossil record. Over time the wood will usually be the part of a plant that is best preserved (and most easily found). Fossil wood may or may not be petrified, in which case it is known as petrified wood or petrified tree. The study of fossil wood is sometimes called palaeoxylology, with a "palaeoxylologist" somebody who studies fossil wood.

The fossil wood may be the only part of the plant that has been preserved, with the rest of the plant completely unknown: therefore such wood may get a special kind of botanical name. This will usually include "xylon" and a term indicating its presumed affinity, such as Araucarioxylon (wood similar to that of extant Araucaria or some related genus like Agathis or Wollemia), Palmoxylon (wood similar to that of modern Arecaeae), or Castanoxylon (wood similar to that of modern chinkapin or chesnut-tree). The fact that a fossil is named so does not mean that the fossil originated from a plant undoubtedly related to the modern genus alluded to.. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos 

by George Konstantinou

Mosquito fern, duckweed fern, fairy moss, water fern - Azolla sp. - Cyprus

 Family: Salviniaceae

Azolla (mosquito fern, duckweed fern, fairy moss, water fern) is a genus of seven species of aquatic ferns in the family Salviniaceae. They are extremely reduced in form and specialized, looking nothing like other typical ferns but more resembling duckweed or some mosses. Azolla filiculoides is one of just two fern species for which a reference genome has been published. It is believed that this genus grew so prolifically during the Eocene (and thus absorbed such a large amount of carbon) that it triggered a global cooling event that has lasted to the present.

Azolla is considered an invasive plant in wetlands, freshwater lakes and ditches It can alter aquatic ecosystems and biodiversity substantially. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 

Photos  Geri 25/8/2023 

by George Konstantinou

Common duckweed or lesser duckweed - Lemna minor L. - Cyprus

Family Araceae

Lemna minor, the common duckweed or lesser duckweed, is a species of aquatic freshwater plant in the subfamily Lemnoideae of the arum family Araceae. L. minor is used as animal fodder, bioremediator, for wastewater nutrient recovery, and other applications.

Description

Lemna minor is a floating freshwater aquatic plant, with one, two, three or four leaves each having a single root hanging in the water. As more leaves grow, the plants divide and become separate individuals. The root is 1–2 cm long. Leaves are oval, 1–8 mm long and 0.6–5 mm broad, light green, with three (rarely five) veins and small air spaces to assist flotation. It reproduces mainly vegetatively by division. Flowers are rarely produced and measure about 1 mm in diameter, with a cup-shaped membranous scale containing a single ovule and two stamens. The seed is 1 mm long, ribbed with 8-15 ribs. Birds are important in dispersing L. minor to new sites. The sticky root enables the plant to adhere to the plumage or feet of birds and can thereby colonize new ponds.[citation needed]

Distribution

Lemna minor has a subcosmopolitan distribution and is native throughout most of Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. It is present wherever freshwater ponds and slow-moving streams occur, except for arctic and subarctic climates. It is not reported as native in Australasia or South America, though it is naturalised there. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos  Geri 25/8/2023 

by George Konstantinou

Water cabbage, water lettuce, Nile cabbage, or shellflower - Pistia stratiotes L. - Cyprus

Family: Araceae

Pistia is a genus of aquatic plants in the arum family, Araceae. It is the sole genus in the tribe Pistieae which reflects its systematic isolation within the family. The single species it comprises, Pistia stratiotes, is often called water cabbage, water lettuce, Nile cabbage, or shellflower. Its native distribution is uncertain but is probably pantropical; it was first discovered from the Nile near Lake Victoria in Africa. It is now present, either naturally or through human introduction, in nearly all tropical and subtropical fresh waterways and is considered an invasive species as well as a mosquito breeding habitat. The genus name is derived from the Greek word πιστός (pistos), meaning "water," and refers to the aquatic nature of the plants. The specific epithet is also derived from a Greek word, στρατιώτης, meaning "soldier," which references the sword-shaped leaves of some plants in the Stratiotes genus.

Pistia stratiotes is a perennial monocotyledon with thick, soft leaves that form a rosette. It floats on the surface of the water, its roots hanging submersed beneath floating leaves. The leaves can measure 2 – 15 cm long and are light green, with parallel venations and wavy margins. The surface of the leaves is covered in short, white hairs which form basket-like structures that can trap air bubbles and increase the plant's buoyancy. The spongy parenchyma with large intercellular spaces in the leaves also aids the plant in floating. The flowers are dioecious, lack petals, and are hidden in the middle of the plant amongst the leaves. Pistia stratiotes has a spadix inflorescence, containing one pistillate flower with one ovary and 2 - 8 staminate flowers with two stamens. The pistillate and carpellate flowers are separated by folds in the spathe, where the male flowers are located above the female flowers. Oval, green berries with ovoid seeds form after successful fertilization. The plant undergoes asexual reproduction by propagating through stolons, yet evidence of sexual reproduction has also been observed in the ponds of Southern Brazil.

Pistia stratiotes are found in slow-moving rivers, lakes, and ponds. The species displays optimal growth in the temperature range of  22 - 30 °C, but can endure extreme temperatures up to 35 °C. As a result, Pistia stratiotes do not grow in colder temperatures, beyond the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. The species also require slightly acidic water in the pH range of 6.5 - 7.2 for optimal growth

The center of origin of Pistia stratiotes remains uncertain. However, the plant is thought to be native to South America or Africa. Described in Egyptian hieroglyphics and reported by Greek botanists, Dioscorides and Theophrastus, in the Nile River, the plant suggests an African origin. In addition, the co-evolution of Pistia stratiotes with various insects native to Brazil and Argentina, such as the water lettuce weevil, proposes a South American origin. It is a common aquatic plant in the southeastern United States, particularly in Florida. A more recent argument for nativity in Florida notes that it was recorded by botanist, William Bartram, in the St. Johns River basin in 1765, and fossil specimens dating back to the late Pleistocene (~12,000 BP) and early Holocene (~3,500 BP) period are reported from Florida. Yet, the rationale of southeastern, North American nativity remains controversial as disagreeing botanists claim the Spanish may have indirectly introduced into the plant into Florida's basins from their ship ballast. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos  Geri 25/8/2023 

by George Konstantinou

Water jasmine - Echinodorus grandiflorus - Cyprus

Family: Alismataceae

 Echinodorus grandiflorus is a plant species in the Alismataceae. It is native to Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, Venezuela and Florida.

Description

Emerse leaves erect, long-petioled, 80–120 cm long. Blade ovate, at the tip shortly acuminate, at the base abrupt, or regularly oval, at the tip blunt or incised, 15 – 26 cm x 7 – 15 cm wide with 7 - 13 veins and distinct pellucid lines. Submersed leaves on short petioles, blades oval or ovate, on both ends acuminate or blunt. Stem erect, 90 – 150 cm long, sparse and inconspicuously warted, inflorescence paniculate, broadly branched in the lower whorl, having 5 - 12 whorls containing 6 - 12 flowers each. Bracts shorter or longer than the pedicels. Pedicels 1 - 2.5 cm long, sepals broadly ovate, ribbed, 4 – 6 mm long, petals white, corolla 3 – 4 cm in diameter. Stamens usually 24. Aggregate fruit globular, shortly echinate, achenes compressed, 3 mm long x 1 mm wide, having 3 - 5 ribs and 3 glands placed usually in one row, beak 0.4 - 0.5 mm long. Veins are often dark reddish-brown and the blade may have reddish-brown irregular spots.

Cultivation

Needs a deep rich substrate and good light. Will withstand sub-tropical - tropical temperatures. A strong grower, too big for the average aquarium, the leaves soon growing out of the water. In the wild it grows in sticky mud along rivers. Rataj reports hybrids with E. grandiflorus and E. longiscapus which have mixed features. Supplement with iron and CO2 if possible. Seems to prefer soft to hard water.[citation needed]

Seems to bloom best in cooler water and in short-day conditions. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos  Geri 25/8/2023 

by George Konstantinou

Powdery alligator-flag, hardy canna, or powdery thalia -Thalia dealbata Fraser ex Roscoe - Cyprus

Family Marantaceae

Thalia dealbata, the powdery alligator-flag, hardy canna, or powdery thalia, is an aquatic plant in the family Marantaceae, native to swamps, ponds and other wetlands in the southern and central United States. Its range includes much of Coastal Plains and the lower Mississippi Valley (States of South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois and Kentucky). The plant has been grown as an aquatic ornamental because of the pretty violet flowers, and in cultivation has been proved hardy as far north as Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) and Vancouver (British Columbia).

Thalia dealbata grows to 6 ft (1.8 m), with small violet flowers on an 8 in (20 cm) panicle held above the foliage. The blue-green leaves are ovate to lanceolate, dusted with white powder and with purple edges

Photos  Geri 25/8/2023 

by George Konstantinou

White-fleshed pitahaya, Dragon fruit - Selenicereus undatus (Haworth) D.R.Hunt - Cyprus

Family: Cactaceae

Selenicereus undatus, the white-fleshed pitahaya, is a species of the genus Selenicereus (formerly Hylocereus) in the family Cactaceae and is the most cultivated species in the genus. It is used both as an ornamental vine and as a fruit crop - the pitahaya or dragon fruit.

Like all true cacti, the genus originates in the Americas, but the precise native origin of the species S. undatus is uncertain and never been resolved; it may be a hybrid.

Dragonfruit stems are scandent (climbing habit), creeping, sprawling or clambering, and branch profusely. There can be four to seven of them, between 5 and 10 m (16 and 33 ft)or longer, with joints from 30 to 120 cm (12 to 47 in) or longer, and 10 to 12 cm (3.9 to 4.7 in) thick; with generally three ribs; margins are corneous (horn-like) with age, and undulate.

Areoles, that is, the small area bearing spines or hairs on a cactus, are 2 mm (0.079 in) across with internodes 1 to 4 cm (0.39 to 1.57 in). Spines on the adult branches are 1 to 4 mm (0.039 to 0.157 in) long, being acicular (needle-like) to almost conical, and grayish brown to black in colour and spreading, with a deep green epidermis.

The scented, nocturnal flowers are 25 to 30 cm (9.8 to 11.8 in) long, 15 to 17 cm (5.9 to 6.7 in) wide with the pericarpel 2.5 to 5 cm (0.98 to 1.97 in) long, about 2.5 cm (0.98 in) thick, bracteoles ovate, acute, to 2.5 to less than 4 cm (1.6 in) long; receptacle about 3 cm (1.2 in) thick, bracteoles are linear-lanceolate, 3 to 8 cm (1.2 to 3.1 in) long; outer tepals lanceolate-linear to linear, acuminate (tapering to a point), being 10 to 15 cm (3.9 to 5.9 in) long, 10 to 15 mm (0.39 to 0.59 in) wide and mucronate (ending in a short sharp point). Their colour is greenish-yellow or whitish, rarely rose-tinged; inner tepals are lanceolate (tapering to a point at the tip) to oblanceolate (i.e. more pointed at the base), up to 10 to 15 cm (3.9 to 5.9 in) long about 40 mm (1.6 in) wide at widest point, and mucronate, unbroken, sharp to acuminate (pointed), and white.

The fruit is oblong to oval, 6 to 12 cm (2.4 to 4.7 in) long, 4 to 9 cm (1.6 to 3.5 in) thick, red with large bracteoles, with white, or more uncommonly, pink pulp and edible black seeds

Selenicereus undatus is lithophytic or hemiepiphytic. It is widely distributed through the tropics in cultivation. It is a sprawling or vining, terrestrial or epiphytic cactus. They climb by use of aerial roots and can reach a height of 10 meters (32.8 feet) or more growing on rocks and trees. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos  Geri 20/8/2023 

by George Konstantinou

Photos  Geri 9/9/2023 

by Fani Konstantinou

Aporrhais uttingeriana (Risso, 1826) - Fossils from Nicosia, Cyprus

Family Aporrhaidae

Aporrhais is a genus of medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Aporrhaidae and the superfamily Stromboidea.

The genus is known from the Triassic to the Recent periods (age range: 205.6 to 0.0 million years ago). Fossils of species within this genus have been found all over the world

Photos 

by George Konstantinou

Pelican's foot - Aporrhais pespelecani Linnaeus, 1758 - Fossils from Nicosia, Cyprus

Family: Aporrhaidae

Aporrhais pespelecani, common name the "pelican's foot" (or more precisely "common pelican's foot" to distinguish it from congeners), is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Aporrhaidae.

Until the early 20th century the scientific name was usually written with a hyphen and spelled "pes-pelicani"

This snail lives in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean, from Norway to the Mediterranean Sea [2] and also in the Black Sea[

This species of sea snail lives below the low tide level, in the sublittoral zone, from 10 to 130 m depth, on mud or muddy sand. The empty shells do sometimes wash up on beaches however. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos 

by George Konstantinou

                                                                   juvenile 

Long-legged china-mark - Dolicharthria punctalis (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) - Cyprus

 See also - List of Moths of Cyprus you will find in this blog (Lepidoptera)

Family Crambidae

Dolicharthria punctalis, the long-legged china-mark, is a species of moth of the family Crambidae. It is the type species of the proposed genus Stenia, which is usually included in Dolicharthria but may be distinct.

It is found mainly in central and southern Europe, but has been recorded further north. The wingspan is 20–25 mm. The moth flies from May to September depending on the location.

The caterpillars feed on Centaurea (knapweeds), Plantago (plantain herb), Trifolium (clovers), Artemisia vulgaris (common wormwood) and even the marine eelgrass Zostera marina. Yet other unusual recorded[2] foods are dry leaves, plant waste, and old roots. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photo 

by George Konstantinou

Cymatium sp. - Fossils from Nicosia, Cyprus

Family Cymatiidae.

Cymatium is a genus of small to large predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Cymatiidae.

This genus has numerous species, perhaps as many as 100, some of which have a worldwide distribution. The genus has been divided into at least 10 subgenera. Some authors have elevated those subgenera, giving them the full status of genera, but this is by no means universally accepted.

Fossil records

This genus is known in the fossil records from the Eocene to the Quaternary (age range: from 55.8 to 0.012 million years ago).

Description

These sea snails have separate sexes. They lay egg capsules. After hatching, the larvae have a planktonic stage that can (in some species) last several months; this is what enables the very widespread distribution seen in certain species, as the planktonic larvae can be carried great distances before settling to the sea floor. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photo by George Konstantinou

Bivalve - Rocellaria dubia or Gastrochaena dubia (Pennant, 1777) - Fossils from Nicosia, Cyprus

Family Gastrochaenidae

Gastrochaena is a genus of saltwater clams, marine bivalve molluscs in the family Gastrochaenidae. The type species of this genus is Gastrochaena cuneiformis.

The rock boring bivalve Gastrochaena dubia (Pennant, 1777) can also live freely on soft substrata, within a claviform crypt consisting of a thick, coarsely agglutinated external layer and an inner lining. Examination of Pleistocene material from Monte Mario, Rome (Cerulli-Irelli collection), allows an understanding of the ecological requirements necessary for this life habit and provides new information about crypt functional morphology and construction. The crypt of G. dubia rests subhorizontally, partly buried and with the siphonal tip emerging from the substratum. A low-energy substratum, with a sandy-muddy texture rich in a coarse biogenic fraction, is the main ecological requirement. Through a process of dissolution and re-secretion, G. dubia enlarges the crypt during growth, particularly anteriorly. The agglutinated, blistered structure of the external layer seems to be formed by means of mucous "bubbles" which mineralise, incorporating sand grains and bioclasts. An elongate, thin appendage of the foot seems to be involved in this process. The same foot appendage produces thin tubules which penetrate the crypt wall. They have a probing function in the boring life-habit, but it is not known if they have any function in the free tube-dwelling habit. From Rafael La Perna - Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro

     Photos by George Konstantinou

Η κρύπτη απο το δίθυρο Gastrochaena dubia