Permian freshwater stromatolites associated with the conifer shoots Cassinisia orobica Kerp et al. — a very peculiar type of fossilization

Abstract Foliated shoots of Cassinisia orobica Kerp et al., 1996 are fossilized by a combination of two processes, i.e. by tufaceous/stromatolitic encrustation, preserving their external morphology, and the formation of sparite crystal which include leaf tissues and vascular bundles. Encrustation took place in two phases, interrupted by a period of emersion. The arrangement of the stromatolitic laminations and the aspect of the crystals and their inclusions allow a comparison with some specific recent forms of Schizothrix . On the lake bottom, cavities in the axes and leaves were finally filled with internal sediment, gypsum and diagenetic sparite.