noun (plural stigmariae /-ˈme(ə)rē-ē/)Paleontology
A fossilized root of a giant lycopod, common in Carboniferous coal measures.
- The round nodes on the surface of the stigmaria are scars where ribbon-like rootlets were once attached and arranged radially about the stigmaria like the bristles of a bottle brush.
- The rhizomes, or root systems, of both genera, known as stigmariae, were thought to be distinct plants when their fossils were first discovered.
- Stigmariae are most often found in layers of clay below coal seams; the clay layer is thought to represent the layer of soil below the coal swamps.
- Example sentences
- On the right side is a close-up of a stigmarian axis with the typical spiral arrangement of scars.
- Undisturbed layering around the stigmarian roots is consistent with their sedimentary burial, not with the intrusion of roots into an already layered soil.
- Standing trees were not preserved within the six examples, but stigmarian roots extended away from the base of three of them.
Mid 19th century: modern Latin, from Greek stigma, with reference to the scars where rootlets were attached, covering the fossils.
Definition of stigmaria in:
What do you find interesting about this word or phrase?
Comments that don't adhere to our Community Guidelines may be moderated or removed.