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Two partly anatomically preserved axes parallelly situated on a slab collected from an in situvolcanic ash bed called “Bělka” of the Whetstone Horizon, Kladno Formation (Pennsylvanian), Czech Republic, were studied in detail. Anatomically, both axes possess a C-shaped xylem strand with protoxylem tracheids situated on the convex side, demonstrating an inversicatenalean-type anachoropterid affiliation. They are further suggested to belong to one biological species, as they share a number of similar characteristics and common structures. Systematically, one of the two studied axes retains a primitive form of foliar anatomy with the oldest known anachoropterid plant (Anachoropterissp.) in having two rather short lateral arms compared to the long median region. Although lacking foliage information, both axes likely belong to the rachis part of Discosoropteris zlatkokvacekiiPšenička, Zhou, Boyce, Votočková Frojdová, Bek and Wang, a fern species that was recently established based on the same slab where the two studied axes were preserved. Such a combination may further indicate the presence of a new family in the late Paleozoic anachoropterid plants. In addition, selected anatomically preserved ferns from the Whetstone Horizon were reviewed, which promotes a better understanding of the anatomical variability of fern species.

Stigmaria asiaticaJongmans et Gothan is a common species from the Permo-Carboniferous of East Asia. It is characterized by a relatively slender rhizomorph and represents the underground rooting system of lowland arborescent lycopsids. This species from the Wuda Coalfield (Asselian, lower Permian) represents the recovery taxon dominating the subsequent peat-forming vegetation after a volcanic eruption destroyed the previous flora, termed the Wuda Tuff Flora (Chinese “vegetational Pompeii”). It is characterized by novel downward axes, probably for access to deeper groundwater. Here, the anatomy of S. asiatica, including that of the axes and rootlets, is reported in detail for the first time. The axis contains stelar tissues, including pith, primary and secondary xylem, and phloem, and both primary and secondary cortical tissues. The primary cortex is tripartite and is divided into inner, middle, and outer zones. Secondary cortex is produced in the interior of the outer cortex splitting the outer cortex into inner and outer portions. The homogeneous pith and mesarch primary xylem maturation of S. asiaticaare different from previously recorded species of StigmariaBrongniart. Rootlets are composed of a central monarch vascular bundle surrounded by inner cortex and a ring of outer cortex. A vacant region is present between the inner and outer cortices. In some cases, connectives between the inner and outer cortices are present. According to the presented statistical analysis, it is proposed that rootlets of S. asiaticawere highly branched, with at least for 7 bifurcations. Rootlets, together with the downward penetrating rhizomorph, helped to both anchor the plant and search for and absorb deep groundwater.

A silicified wood, Palaeocupressinoxylon uniserialen. gen. n. sp., is described from the upper Permian of the Central Taodonggou section, Turpan–Hami Basin, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, northwestern China. Multidisciplinary data including U–Pb ID–TIMS zircon dating, vertebrate and invertebrate biostratigraphic, and cyclostratigraphic correlation from current and previous studies indicate that the fossil bearing interval is Wuchiapingian (late Permian) in age. The pycnoxylic wood consists of thick-walled tracheids and parenchymatous rays. It is characterized by separated uniseriate radial tracheidal pits, uniseriate ray cells, and cupressoid cross-field pitting. The absence of growth rings in the wood, together with the occurrence of Argillisols, Gleysols, and Histosols above and below the fossil interval, suggests that a stable landscape and a perennially humid climate prevailed in the Taodonggou area during the Wuchiapingian.

Charred wood occurs sporadically in sedimentary rocks in China. A marcroscopic charcoal with well-preserved anatomical structure is described from the Wuchiapiangian Wutonggou Formation in the southern part of Dalongkou section, northern Bogda Mountains in the Junggar Basin, northwestern China. It is characterized by uniseriate radial tracheidal pitting, taxaceous tertiary spiral thickenings in the tracheidal walls, uniseriate tangential tracheidal pitting, homogeneous, uniseriate, 2–10 cells high xylem rays, and 1–2 pits in each cross-field. It is assigned to Prototaxoxylon uniserialePrasad. The uniseriate, bordered, contiguous, rarely separate tangential pitting of P. uniserialeis evidenced clearly for the first time. The features of this species show a close affinity with conifers. The coniferous charred wood may have been derived from an extrabasinal forest, perhaps from upland environment deep within the hinterland, according to results of modern taphonomic research.

Fifty-six cordaitalean trunks with anatomical features are discovered and described from the Moscovian (Pennsylvanian) Benxi Formation in Yangquan City, Shanxi Province, North China. They are allochthonously preserved in fluvial channel deposits and classified into two types based on the anatomy. The first type is characterized by a solid and heterocellular pith, endarch primary xylem and pycnoxylic secondary xylem with araucarian radial tracheidal pits and araucarioid cross-field pitting. The second type contains a septate pith and a pycnoxylic secondary xylem which is comparable to that of the first type. Primary xylem is absent in the second type. The diameter of these trunks ranges from 0.11 m to 0.55 m. The largest tree is estimated to be 29.96 m high using an allometric approach. The trunks represent the oldest and largest trees from the North China Block during the Pennsylvanian due to the absence of Silurian, Devonian, and Mississippian there. The fossil evidence shows that cordaitaleans were large arborescent trees growing on clastic substrates in the Cathaysia during the Pennsylvanian. Their occurrence from the upper Pennsylvanian in North China Block suggests that the previously reported diversity of cordaitaleans, which were estimated based on impressions, is a gross underestimate. The absence of growth rings in the trunks and co-occurrence of arborescent lycopsids in the same interval, together with coal seams and bauxite around the fossil-bearing horizons, indicate that the trees grew under perhumid tropical conditions.