A team of researchers from the Smithsonian and the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science (NMMNHS) has discovered a new species of prehistoric plant in rural Socorro County, New Mexico. The plant, named Socorropteris cancellarei, dates back approximately 290 million years to the Permian Period.
The research was published in the latest edition of the Annals of Botany and was co-authored by Smithsonian curator William DiMichele, NMMNHS Curator Spencer Lucas, and NMMNHS Research Associates Susan Harris and Paul May. Fossils were found by Harris in northeastern Socorro County.
“Even during our museum’s renovation, our researchers continue their work scientifically exploring our world,” said Dr. Anthony Fiorillo, Executive Director of NMMNHS. “This new work underscores that New Mexico was a hotbed of life during much of the Paleozoic Era, and raises new questions about the plants that lived in our state 290 million years ago.”
The newly identified species was named to honor Joe Cancellare, a longtime volunteer at NMMNHS who has contributed over a decade to fossil collection efforts both in the field and within museum collections.
“Naming the new plant after Joe was to honor his outstanding service to the Museum and to the science of paleontology,” said Dr. Spencer Lucas. “Joe Cancellare represents the best of volunteers: always cheerful, helpful and tireless in his work to support the Museum and its scientific programs.”
Socorropteris cancellarei is described as an upright plant with a central root system and numerous leaves clustered at its apex. The stems measured about 5 millimeters in diameter, with an estimated total height including its crown around 20 centimeters. Researchers believe it was likely a seed plant.
Fossil evidence suggests that stem bases were found crowded on sandstone surfaces formed by sheet floods. Based on this context, along with its structure and lack of competing species nearby, scientists conclude that Socorropteris may have been an opportunistic colonizer thriving after environmental disturbances such as floods or fires.
Despite these findings, questions remain regarding how common this plant actually was during its time period. The rarity could be due to fragile fossil preservation or sampling biases rather than true scarcity; further research is planned to clarify these points.
The New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science operates under the Department of Cultural Affairs. It serves as one of the Southwest’s largest repositories for fossils and offers exhibitions and educational programs across geoscience disciplines including paleontology and mineralogy. Currently, the museum is temporarily closed for renovations but continues supporting research activities.