This is the reconstruction of the plant Aglaophyton major by
D.S.Edwards (1986). The original name, given by Kidson and Lang, was Rhynia
major, but Edwards showed that the central strand did not consist of
tracheids with secondary wall thickenings. So the plant had to be transferred
to an other genus. In fact Aglaophyton cannot be reckoned to belong
to the Tracheophyta and does have affinities to the mosses.
The transverse section of the stem resembles that of Rhynia
gwynne-vaughanii, but it is larger.
The size of the plant is estimated at a maximum of 18 cm. The stem
diameter is between 1.5 and 6 mm.
In my four pieces of chert this plant did not occur. The photos are from the slides of the Groningen University.
