Swartpuntia

Swartpuntia is a monospecific genus of erniettomorph[1] from the terminal Ediacaran period, with at least three quilted, leaf-shaped petaloids — probably five or six.

The original fossils were found at, and named after, the Swartpunt farm between Aus and Rosh Pinah in Namibia.

The specific name germsi honours Gerard Germs, who studied the Nama formation of geological beds.

This combination of features suggests close relationships between the Ediacaran biota, and lends credence to their membership of a separate phylum (Seilacher's Vendobionta).

Mark McMenamin has inferred a photosymbiotic lifestyle for Swartpuntia, and this seems likely considering its shallow water habitat, tree-like shape and lack of apparent heterotrophic feeding structures.