Aculea
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| Aculea Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Division: | Polypodiophyta |
| Genus: | †Aculea |
Aculea is an extinct genus of ferns known from the Cretaceous period, primarily identified through fossil records in places like Antarctica, Australia, and Patagonia.[1][2][3] Additional mid-Cretaceous fern diversity studies in Patagonia have further documented the stratigraphic context of fern genera, including Aculea, within Cretaceous South American plant assemblages.[4] It includes species such as Aculea acicularis, which formed upright thickets with fronds arising from subterranean rhizomes, often in environments dominated by araucarian trees and other large plants and floodbasins.[1] It's fossils have also been recovered from floodbasin settings, notably from the Eumeralla Formation.[5]