Annularia stellata- Plant
Pennsylvanian
Francis Creek Shale
Pit. 11, Kankakee Co.
Illinois, USA.

A preserved fossil of Annularia stellata, a distinctive Carboniferous plant known for its elegant, star-shaped whorls of leaves. This species represents the foliage of ancient horsetail relatives, linked to Calamites. They thrived in vast coal-forming swamp forests over 300 million years ago.
The specimen typically displays a central stem node from which multiple narrow leaves radiate outward in a symmetrical circular pattern, creating a striking “rosette” or starburst appearance. Individual leaves are slender and linear, often preserved with fine detail that emphasizes their delicate structure.