A Late Devonian refugium for Colpodexylon (Lycopsida) at high latitude

Localities within strata of the Witpoort Formation (Witteberg Group, Cape Supergroup) South Africa provide diverse new fossil material Famennian plants from a high palaeolatitude marginal marine setting. Lycopsid axes with sterile leaves include here diagnosed to two species Colpodexylon Banks 1944. C. pullumpedes sp. nov. Waterloo Farm is ‘short-tipped’ species, whereas mergae Coombs Hill, ‘long-tipped’ species. The latter has similar those type deatsii Banks, yet differing in proportions. This provides first definite latitude records genus. Furthermore, these occurrences substantially extend temporal range Colpodexylon, formerly only known lower Frasnian and older strata, indicating that genus persisted at high-latitudes after its apparent disappearance palaeo-sub-tropics.