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Premise of research. Burseraceae is represented by a large number of fossils from the Cenozoic sedimentary succession and has a disjunct distribution today in the southern part of North America, Africa, Europe, and Asia. However, the family has a poor fossil record in deep time, making hypotheses concerning its origin and dispersal difficult to evaluate. Here, we report the occurrence of reproductive organs (fruit and flower) attributable to modern Burseraceae from the probable latest Maastrichtian (Late Cretaceous) to earliest Danian (early Paleocene) sediments of the Mandla Lobe of the Deccan Intertrappean beds of Madhya Pradesh, Central India. Methodology. X-ray micro–computed tomography was used to observe three-dimensional structures. The reconstruction software takes the 2D projection images acquired by the X-ray detector and generates a 3D image represented by gray values distributed in a volumetric space. The present fruit and flower fossils are identified through morphological comparison with another fossil and extant Burseraceae. Pivotal results. The fossil pyrene corresponds in morphology with that of Burseraceae (particularly some genera of Protieae and Bursereae), while the fossil flower, with the pentamerous organization of sepals and petals and ovary and 10 stamens arranged in two whorls around a prominent intrastaminal nectary disk, is particularly similar to Protium. The fossil fruit is here described as a new species of the fossil genus Bursericarpum Reid et Chandler as Bursericarpum indicum Kumar, Manchester et Khan sp. nov. and the fossil flower as Debursera indica Kumar, Manchester, Judd et Khan sp. nov. Conclusions. The present discoveries represent the oldest reliable fossil records of Burseraceae supporting its Gondwanan origin. These fossils also provide important information for tracing possible migration pathways of Burseraceae from India to Europe after the docking of the Indian subcontinent with Eurasia during the early Eocene (55 ± 10 Ma), supporting an "out-of-India" dispersal hypothesis. Based on earlier and present records we suggest that the family might have reached Europe from India and then colonized North America (during the Eocene) in areas where it is now regionally extinct. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Acta Scientiarum Naturalium Universitatis Sunyatseni / Zhongshan Daxue Xuebao is the property of Sun-Yat-Sen University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Premise of research. Fossil infructescences of the late Paleocene Cyclocarya brownii (Juglandaceae) and winged fruits with newly recognized anatomical structure are described from Almont and Beicegel Creek, North Dakota. These fossils demonstrate that C. brownii has many similarities to extant Cyclocarya paliurus but differs in several morphological and anatomical features. Comparisons of the fossil record of Cyclocarya document the transition of characters in the evolution of the oldest extant genus of Juglandaceae. Methodology. Fossils were digitally imaged with reflected light microscopy (LM). Some specimens were embedded in Ward's Bio-Plastic synthetic resin, sectioned into wafers, mounted on microscope slides, and imaged with reflected LM. Permineralized specimens from the Beicegel Creek site were prepared with the cellulose acetate peel technique, mounted on microscope slides, and imaged with transmitted LM. Extant fruits of C. paliurus were photographed from freshly collected material. Pivotal results. Infructescences of C. brownii differ from those of modern C. paliurus in several ways. The fossils are racemes with crowded fruits borne on elongate pedicels. In contrast, extant C. paliurus has spikes bearing fewer fruits per infructescence (10 vs. 23). Fruit wall anatomy is similar to that of extant and other known fossil species of Cyclocarya but is more complex and has a distinctive idioblast layer not present in extant Cyclocarya. Fossil pollen is triporate in contrast to the tetraporate pollen in extant Cyclocarya. As in extant Cyclocarya , pollen is borne both in staminate catkins and occasionally in stamens attached to fruits. We document a fossil fruit with stamens bearing pollen. This feature, sporadic in extant Cyclocarya , was also present in the Paleogene. Conclusions. Late Paleocene C. brownii differs in comparison with extant C. paliurus and related fossil forms in infructescence architecture, fruit size and symmetry, fruit wall anatomy, and pollen aperture number. Trends in character evolution from the Paleogene to the present day include (1) changes from helically arranged, densely distributed pedicellate fruits to sessile fruits borne singly along a slender axis, (2) transition from pyramidal to round nutlets with (3) equatorial versus basal wing attachment, (4) a change in pollen aperture number from three to four, and (5) simplification of the fruit wall in extant Cyclocarya. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Premise of research. The Klikov Formation in South Bohemia, Czech Republic, is well known as a rich source of Late Cretaceous mesofossils including numerous angiosperm reproductive structures. In this study, we restudy and reevaluate all flower and fruit specimens from this formation that were earlier referred to the species Vangerowia tricornuta Erw.Knobloch et Mai, and on the basis of a detailed morphological analysis, we describe and establish the new genus Slavicekia and the new species Slavicekia inaequalis. Methodology. Morphological and anatomical investigations of the fossil fruits were carried out using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray micro–computed tomography. Pivotal results. Flowers of Slavicekia exhibit a unique combination of floral characters. Flowers are structurally bisexual and epigynous. The perianth comprises five small tepals arranged in one whorl of two and one whorl of three tepals. The androecium consists of five stamens placed opposite to the tepals (i.e., also the stamens are arranged in two anisomerous whorls). Pollen grains are triangular-oblate and triaperturate. The gynoecium is tricarpellate-syncarpous with an ovary that contains two unequally sized locules, each producing one ovule, but only the one in the larger locule matures into a seed. Conclusions. The type of pollen is characteristic for Normapolles plants, and we therefore propose Slavicekia as a new member of the Normapolles complex in the order Fagales. In addition to the pollen features, other characters, including epigyny, a reduced perianth, and a single seed per fruit, link Slavicekia with the Normapolles complex and the order Fagales. On the basis of a comparison with other Normapolles fossils and extant taxa, we discuss the potential systematic affinities of Slavicekia within core Fagales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of the Asian monsoonal climate sparked a latitudinal shift in vegetation zones from the Oligocene to the Miocene. However, little is known about the history of the megathermal floristic response to the geologic events in key regions like subtropical China. Here, a species of Fabaceae, Ormosia cyclocarpa sp. nov., is recognised based on well-preserved fruits from the Miocene of Zhejiang in middle-subtropical China. This species features dehiscent, compressed suborbicular single-seeded pods with an intramarginal vein. Extensive comparisons with extant/fossil fabaceous taxa confidently support the present taxonomic consideration. Considering the extant distribution, diversity centre and regional climate history, the known fossil occurrences in southern China imply that Ormosia extended northwards during the Miocene from probable tropics of origin into subtropical China, where a once broad latitudinal arid zone prevailed throughout much of the Palaeogene. Such a changing phytogeographic pattern across tropical-subtropical China probably resulted from a drastic East Asian climate change around the Oligo-Miocene boundary, and closely coincided with the early-middle Miocene warming. The spreading of Ormosia and other tropical genera (e.g. Dipterocarpus, Shorea, Bauhinia, Dacrycarpus) sharing similar floristic history in subtropical China indicates a palaeotropical and Miocene origin for some clades of the extant East Asian flora. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Premise of research. Prominently winged fruits occur in many families of angiosperms today, but they are rare and poorly documented in the mid-Cretaceous. Tricalycites Newberry ex Hollick is a widely distributed winged disseminule from the mid-Cretaceous to Upper Cretaceous sediments of the United States. However, some of the specimens previously attributed to this genus are morphologically distinct, representing a different genus. Methodology. Micro–computed tomography and scanning electron, reflected light, transmitted light, and epifluorescence microscopies were applied for the analyses of compression and impression fossils. Pivotal results. Wireroadia gen. nov. is established on the basis of triwinged fruits from the mid-Cretaceous (Cenomanian) of Alabama. The disseminules include a pedicellate, longitudinally ribbed, globose fruit body and a persistent style. Three prominent longitudinal wings with parallel sides, rounded apexes, and subparallel venation arise from the base of the fruit. The wing epidermis includes prominent trichome bases and paracytic stomatal complexes that are encircled by a ring of radially arranged cells. In addition to the wings, the type species, Wireroadia viccallii sp. nov., shows a pair of prominent antler-like branched spines arising laterally from the base of the fruit. Wireroadia major (Hollick) comb. nov. from the Late Cretaceous (Santonian) of New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts has larger fruits that lack the branched spines. Both species of Wireroadia are readily distinguished from Tricalycites , which has a miniscule seed body and a single trilobed wing, lacks trichome bases, and bears both paracytic and tetracytic stomata. Conclusions. Wireroadia is interpreted as an extinct genus of eudicot, readily distinguished from Tricalycites. Despite convergent similarities with fruits of Fagales and other extant orders, the more precise systematic position remains uncertain. The presence of both wings and spiny appendages indicates that dispersal might have been by animals, as well as by wind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genus Canarium contains approximately 78 species distributed in the Old World tropics and subtropics. Canarium is characterized by a distinctive drupaceous fruit with a trilocular endocarp derived from three fused pyrenes. Here, we describe new Canarium fossil fruits from the late Oligocene of the Yongning Formation, the Miocene of the Erzitang Formation, and the late Miocene of the Foluo Formation in Guangxi Province, South China, providing the first confirmed fossil occurrences of Canarium in eastern Asia. The fruits of Canarium guangxiensis Han & Manchester sp. nov. are ovoidal to spindle shaped, 22.8-34.3 mm long, and 10.7-14.6 mm wide. Computed tomography (CT) scan was used to study the morphological and anatomical characters of fossil and modern Canarium, facilitating identification of the fossil fruits. This new occurrence supplements other megafossil records of Canarium fruits from the Eocene in North America, the Eocene to Oligocene in Europe, the Oligocene in Africa, the Oligocene to Miocene in Asia and from the Pleistocene in Australia and the Pacific islands. The fossil record indicates a wide dispersal of Canarium over the Northern Hemisphere during the Eocene and Oligocene, followed by a geographical contraction during the Miocene as the result of its extinction from North America and Europe. The origin and migratory routes of this genus are not clearly resolved, but based on the fossils known so far, we hypothesize that Canarium may have had a North American Eocene origin, with subsequent spread to Eurasia and Africa, followed by dispersal to the Southern Hemisphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fossil fruits of the Central European middle Miocene originally described as Comarostaphylis globula have been re-interpreted based on new specimens from several localities in the Konin basin, Central Poland, and Chłapowo, Northern Poland. A new ericaceous genus Kirchheimeria is proposed, but is of uncertain subfamilial affinity. We suggest that the new genus is i) an early representative of the Comarostaphylis – Arctostaphylos lineage, ii) a separate, extinct European lineage of Arbutoideae, or iii) a representative of an extinct Ericaceae subfamily. We review the fossil record of Arbutoideae, with emphasis on the European remains. We suggest that the Paleogene and most of the Neogene remains have been unconvincingly identified and attributed to Arbutoideae, and need confirmation through re-examination of the original materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Stephania Loureiro is a large genus within Menispermaceae, with approximately 60 extant species naturally distributed in tropical to subtropical areas in Asia and Africa, and a few in Oceania. This genus possesses highly characteristic endocarps that facilitate identification of extant and fossil specimens. Here, we report some well‐preserved fossil fruits of Stephania from North America and East Asia. The specimens indicate the endocarps were bony or woody with an obovate to obovate‐rotund outline and a horseshoe‐shaped locule. The endocarp length varies from 4.7 to 8.3 mm, and width from 3.7 to 7.0 mm. The endocarp has a clear foramen in the central area and is surrounded by a keel with ribs running along the dorsal surface. Only one lateral crest develops on each side of the endocarp. Two new species are recognized: Stephania wilfii Han & Manchester sp. nov. from the Paleocene to Eocene of Wyoming (USA), and Stephania jacquesii Han & Manchester sp. nov. disjunct between the late Eocene of Oregon (USA) and the late Oligocene of Guangxi Province (China). In addition, on the basis of more detailed morphological comparative analyses, we transfer the fossils formerly treated as Diploclisia auriformis (Hollick) Manchester from the early Eocene of London Clay, and the middle Eocene of Alaska and Oregon to Stephania auriformis (Hollick) Han & Manchester comb. nov. These fossil materials indicate a broader biogeographic distribution for the ancestors of extant Stephania lineages. This finding enhances our knowledge of the taxonomic and morphological diversity of Stephania and provides new evidence concerning its phytogeographic history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the origin of the diversity in Central American forests requires the integration of both extant and fossil taxa. Here, we provide a description of Humiriaceae fossils from two new sedimentary sequences in the Azuero Peninsula, Panamá. Fossils were recovered from Oligocene (one locality) and Early Miocene (two localities) marginal marine deposits. We describe new specimens and augment the generic description of Lacunofructus cuatrecasana Herrera, Manchester et Jaramillo, and present a new record of Sacoglottis sp. Our results expand the temporal and geographical distribution of both taxa and show that Humiriaceae was an important constituent of early Central American forests, and that this family was dispersed in between Central and South America before the final closure of the Central American Seaway. Further studies are necessary to establish whether the origin of this family was in Central or South America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A permineralized fruit from the latest Cretaceous of central India is recognized as a member of the malpighialean family Phyllanthaceae. The fruit is a tricarpellate, septicidal capsule 2.8 mm in diameter possessing two ellipsoidal seeds per locule. The pericarp includes two main layers, each uniseriate and composed mainly of columnar cells. This fruit, named Phyllanthocarpon singpurensis gen. et sp. nov., confirms the presence of Phyllanthaceae in India ca 66 million years ago, well prior to its tectonic fusion with Eurasia, and is an early record for the euphorbioid clade in Malpighiales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims Radially symmetrical, five-winged fossil fruits from the highly diverse early Eocene Laguna del Hunco flora of Chubut Province, Patagonia, Argentina, are named, described and illustrated. The main goals are to assess the affinities of the fossils and to place them in an evolutionary, palaeoecological and biogeographic context. Methods Specimens of fossil fruits were collected from the Tufolitas Laguna del Hunco. They were prepared, photographed and compared with similar extant and fossil fruits using published literature. Their structure was also evaluated by comparing them with that of modern Ceratopetalum (Cunoniaceae) fruits through examination of herbarium specimens. Key Results The Laguna del Hunco fossil fruits share the diagnostic features that characterize modern and fossil Ceratopetalum (symmetry, number of fruit wings, presence of a conspicuous floral nectary and overall venation pattern). The pattern of the minor wing (sepal) veins observed in the Patagonian fossil fruits is different from that of modern and previously described fossil Ceratopetalum fruits; therefore, a new fossil species is recognized. An apomorphy (absence of petals) suggests that the fossils belong within crown-group Ceratopetalum. Conclusions The Patagonian fossil fruits are the oldest known record for Ceratopetalum. Because the affinities, provenance and age of the fossils are so well established, this new Ceratopetalum fossil species is an excellent candidate for use as a calibration point in divergence dating studies of the family Cunoniaceae. It represents the only record of Ceratopetalum outside Australasia, and further corroborates the biogeographic connection between the Laguna del Hunco flora and ancient and modern floras of the Australasian region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nightshade family Solanaceae holds exceptional economic and cultural importance. The early diversification of Solanaceae is thought to have occurred in South America during its separation from Gondwana, but the family’s sparse fossil record provides few insights. We report 52.2-million-year-old lantern fruits from terminal-Gondwanan Patagonia, featuring highly inflated, five-lobed calyces, as a newly identified species of the derived, diverse New World genus Physalis (e.g., groundcherries and tomatillos). The fossils are considerably older than corresponding molecular divergence dates and demonstrate an ancient history for the inflated calyx syndrome. The derived position of these early Eocene fossils shows that Solanaceae were well diversified long before final Gondwanan breakup. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fruits of Koelreuteria are well known in the Tertiary deposits of western United States, eastern Asia and Central-East Europe, yet unequivocal reproductive organs of this genus from other areas remain rare in the fossil record. Here, a new species Koelreuteria quasipaniculata Xiangchuan Li, Liang Xiao et Wenlong He sp. nov. is recognized from the Early to Middle Miocene Garang Formation of Zeku in northeastern Tibetan Plateau, Central Asia. This new species is characterized by dehiscent, membranous capsules with an asymmetrical, narrowly ovate shape, and reticulate venation including subparallel, straight lateral veins and one to two ovoid or ellipsoidal seeds each valve. Its capsular valves closely resemble those members of the K. paniculata -type group in gross form, i.e. the extant K. paniculata Laxmann distributed in eastern Asia and the Oligocene-Pliocene K. macroptera (Kováts) Wilfred Norman Edwards from Central-East Europe. The newly discovered fossil materials corroborate the occurrence of Koelreuteria in the Tibetan Plateau during the Early to Middle Miocene, and add to the diversity of Koelreuteria in Central-East Asia during the Miocene, which has been well represented from the Cenozoic deposits of the northern hemisphere. This fossil record together with other co-occurring arborescent plants (e.g. Acer , Ulmus and Fraxinus ) contributes to our understanding of past vegetation change in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau. Furthermore, the historical distribution range of Koelreuteria is significantly expanded by the present record into Central Asia formerly known as a geographic region lacking extant and fossil records. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A history of the fossil fruits and seeds of the London Clay by James Scott Bowerbank (1797-1877) was printed by George Luxford (1807-1854) and published by John Van Voorst (1804-1898). Part I was issued in 1840, before 6 January, but no more was published. The monograph, intended to comprise five parts, was apparently a commercial failure. Part I was originally issued in wrappers, without title-page or other preliminaries; it includes 17 copper-plate engravings by James de Carle Sowerby (1787-1871), the printer being unknown. A ghost work, the so-called 'The fossil fruits and seeds of the Isle of Sheppey', cited occasionally in the contemporary literature, was in fact this monograph of Bowerbank's, not a separate publication. Twelve genera and 106 species are described, all new taxa except for one previously known species. Bowerbank apparently retained the unsold letterpress sheets until he died, after which they were bought by the publishers Reeves & Turner, who reissued them, possibly late in 1877. They added a title-page and, as an introduction, reprinted a letter about the Isle of Sheppey first published by Bowerbank in 1840. The plates were rather poorly reprinted from the original coppers by an unknown printer. The title-page of this scarce reissue does not name Reeves & Turner, but anachronistically gives Van Voorst as the publisher, still dated 1840. The present paper provides the historical and bibliographical background to these two issues of the sole edition, and describes their distinguishing features, determined from 18 copies of the original issue and eight copies of the reissue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pyrite-permineralized fruits and seeds from the London Clay Formation (Ypresian; England) in the NHMUK are stored in silicone oil to retard decay processes. X-ray micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) has revealed internal morphology for multiple holotypes (including severely cracked and encrusted specimens) scanned in the protective fluid. Silicone oil alone has a similar X-ray attenuation to parts of the specimens, causing minor uncertainty for digitally rendered surfaces, but key systematic characters are readily visualized. Further work is needed to optimize visualization of fine-scale cellular detail. Labelling and segmentation to visualize important structures is achievable with these micro-CT datasets. However, manual labelling of individual slices is required, and defining boundaries between features can be difficult due to differential pyritization and silicone oil permeation. Digital sections through specimens can be made in any orientation and digital locule casts can be produced for studies in virtual taphonomy. These achievements have been accomplished with minimal risk to specimens, which remained in silicone oil and were studied within the museum. The datasets provide a potentially permanent record of at-risk specimens, can be made widely available to researchers unable to visit the collections and to other interested parties, and they enable monitoring for future conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Botany is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Genus Caryanthus with fourteen species represents the most diversified genus in the Normapolles complex. Detailed review of material from Central Europe allowed accurate study of its geographic and stratigraphic distribution. An emended diagnosis of Caryanthus communis Knobloch et Mai, Caryanthus deltoides (Knobloch) Friis, Caryanthus microtriasseris Knobloch et Mai, Caryanthus multiasseris (Knobloch) Knobloch et Mai, Caryanthus pseudooctcostatus (Knobloch) Knobloch et Mai, Caryanthus trebecensis Knobloch et Mai, Caryanthus triasseris (Knobloch) Knobloch et Mai is presented. A single specimen of Cenomanian age has been reinterpreted as Caryanthus sp. This earliest known record of the genus Caryanthus comes from the Peruc–Korycany Formation in the Czech Republic. Rapid radiation of the genus Caryanthus is documented in the Turonian of North Bavaria and southern part of the Czech Republic. The most diverse community comes from the Klikov Formation (Late Turonian–Santonian) of the Czech Republic. During the Santonian/Campanian, the genus Caryanthus occurred widely in Central and Northern Europe; one species is also documented from North America. Caryanthus species diversity clearly decreased in the Maastrichtian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transverse sections of the pericarp or fruit wall of 28 species and 30 taxa from all genera of family Cyperaceae tribe Scirpeae sensu Goetghebeur (1998) were investigated using SEM and X-ray analysis to study cell types and presence of different elements. Two genera described after my analyses were completed ( Calliscirpus and Rhodoscirpus ) are excluded from this investigation; also the genus Cypringlea described in 2003. Particular attention was paid to variation in cell types and presence of silicon and other elements in the different parts of the pericarp. This is a novel systematic method as previous investigations of elements in the pericarp have focused on the morphology of silicon phytoliths and not the actual occurrence of Si and other elements in the various cells. Four of seven investigated and accepted genera have silicon phytoliths, but Si is present in all genera and in 25 of 28 investigated species or in 27 of 30 taxa. Other elements were present in minor amounts. However, the pericarp of Trichophorum uniflorum (Trautv.) Malyschev & Lukitsch. from arctic Russia had no silicon, but a conspicuous Ca-plate in the epidermis cells. Plant species with a pericarp with a thick silicon layer are better adapted to endozoochorous seed dispersal by protecting the seed from digestive acids and the abrasive action of grinding in birds’ gizzards; also the mineral layer and/or a thick outer epidermis wall will protect against an intense UV radiation regime, such as the high Andes and the arctic. The new information discovered through X-ray analysis of the pericarp has the possibility to increase the reliability in analyses of fossil fruits of Cyperaceae. Fruit wall anatomy provides good characters for generic delimitations in some instances, and provides significant infrageneric variation in other genera. Of the seven investigated genera only Trichophorum and Phylloscirpus were heterogeneous as regards fruit characters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fossil fruits pertaining to the mangrove palm genus Nypa Steck, (Arecaceae, Arecales) were collected from a new plant-bearing assemblage in the Arguis Formation (Fm.), northeastern Ebro Basin (Arguis, Huesca Province, Spain). This formation is Bartonian to early Priabonian in age and comprises pro-delta and carbonate platform deposits. The new assemblage consists of nine specimens of fossil Nypa fruits and one monocotyledon leaf fragment. Over half of these fossil fruits are nearly-complete (i.e. with preserved mesocarps) while the other represent endocarps. From the point of view of morphology and size they resemble other European records of this genus. The type of remain preserved (fruits or endocarps), presence of abrasion, Teredo borings and sedimentary facies provide criteria to infer contrasting lengths of transport (drifting). However, they indicate in all cases that these fossil fruits were afloat in seawater for a considerable time. The discovery of Nypa fruits suggests a tropical-subtropical climate in the area, as well as the presence of a coastal environment and littoral forests during deposition. This interpretation corroborates previous findings from the nearby Eocene outcrops of the Catalan Central Depression (Eastern Pyrenees range). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: The history of the basal angiosperm family Monimiaceae is based largely on fossil wood and leaf and floral fossils of uncertain affinity. Fossilized leaves w ith a well-preserved cuticle and Hedycarya-like flowers, including one w ith in situ pollen tetrads and fruits from an early Miocene lacustrine diatomite deposit in southern New Zealand implies a long record for Hedycarya in New Zealand. The flowers contain pollen grains that are very similar to those of the modern New Zealand species Hedycarya arborea and the Australian H. angustifolia but are considerably smaller. METHODS: We undertook comparative studies of the leaf, flower and fruit morphology of the newly discovered macrofossils and compared the in situ pollen grains from the flower with dispersed pollen grains from extant species. KEY RESULTS: The leaves are referred to a new, extinct species, Hedycarya pluvisilva Bannister, Conran, Mildenh. & D.E.Lee, (Monimiaceae), and associated with fossilized Hedycoryo-likeflowersthat include in situ pollen and an infructescence of three drupes from the same site. Phylogenetic analysis placed the fossil into Hedycarya, sister to H. angustifolia in a clade with H. arborea and Levieria acuminata. A new name, Planarpollenites fragilis Mildenh., is proposed for dispersed fossil pollen tetrads at the site and those associated with the flower. CONCLUSIONS: The fossils are similar to those of modern Australian and New Zealand Hedycarya species, suggesting that the genus and related taxa have been significant components of the rainforests of Australia and the former Zealandian subcontinent for most of the Cenozoic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genus Paliurus is characterized by its distinctive orbicular-winged fruits and a trilocular (or bilocular) ovary. Macrofossil records suggested this genus was distributed widely in North America, Europe, and Asia during the Paleogene and Neogene, before its present limitation to Eurasia. In this study, we describe some Paliurus fossil winged fruits from the lower part of Youganwo Formation (middle Eocene) and Huangniuling Formation (late Eocene) of the Maoming Basin, South China. These fruits are recognized as Paliurus favonii Unger based on a detailed study on the fossil morphology and cuticle characteristics. This represents the earliest occurrence of Paliurus fossil fruits in eastern Asia, and to date is the world's lowest latitude appearance for this genus. The most ancient records of Paliurus throughout the world are from the middle Eocene of North America and the late Eocene of Japan, leading some researchers to conclude the Paliurus may have originated in North America. Molecular data, however, do not support this hypothesis. The present Paliurus fossil fruits provide new evidence for the origin and phytogeographic history of this genus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Premise of research. Paleoochna tiffneyi gen. et sp. nov. is described from late Paleocene fossil fruits from Almont (Morton County) and Beicegel Creek (McKenzie County), North Dakota. On the basis of distinctive anatomical and morphological features, these fruits demonstrate strong taxonomic affinities to Ochna and other members of the family Ochnaceae but are distinct at the generic level. Methodology. Fossil fruits were studied with a combination of transmitted and reflected light microscopy from fractured surfaces and with scanning electron microscopy. Extant fruits were sectioned by freehand sectioning with a razor blade and studied with reflected and transmitted light microscopy. Pivotal results. The study documents the first known occurrence of Ochnaceae fruits in the fossil record. They occur as late Paleocene specimens from the Williston Basin of the Western Interior of North America. Specimens are anatomically preserved and provide critical morphological details of systematic value. Like many of the other plants from the well-known Almont/Beicegel Creek flora, Paleoochna has strong affinities to extant genera but cannot be placed in a modern taxon. Along with fossil leaves of Rhabdophyllum (Ochnaceae) of slightly younger age from southeastern North America, Paleoochna corroborates the presence of Ochna-like plants by the Paleogene in North America. Conclusions. The presence of the Ochnaceae, subfamily Ochnoideae, tribe Ochneae, subtribe Ochninae in the Almont/Beicegel Creek flora suggests that some families within Malpighiales were well established in the Western Interior Basin of North America by the late Paleocene. The presence of Paleoochna in the late Paleocene Williston Basin and of Rhabdophyllum leaves in the early Eocene Mississippian Embayment suggests an interesting biogeographic connection for the family between the Western Interior Basin and the Gulf Coast during the Paleogene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fossil fruits of Palaeocarya (Juglandaceae) are described from late Miocene sediments of southeastern Yunnan, China. The fruits present a tri-lobed wing consisting of an intact oblong-ovate middle lobe and two lateral lobes. The lobes are apically obovate, and have pinnate venation. The middle lobe is thicker at the base and gradually tapers to the apex. The nutlet, located at the base of the winged fruit, is round and hispid, and is subdivided by a septum into two compartments. Based on extensive morphological comparisons to previously documented fossil fruits, we found that the fossil fruits align most closely with members of the genus Palaeocarya, but have a unique combination of characters. Thus, we describe the fossils as a new species, Palaeocarya hispida sp. nov. This species represents an important range expansion for low-latitude occurrences of Palaeocarya in the late Miocene and therefore substantially improves our understanding of the biogeographic history of the genus. We propose that the wide distribution of Palaeocarya and relatively narrow distributions of close relatives, Engelhardia, Alfaropsis, and Oreomunnea, might be associated with a stepwise cooling and a major ice sheet expansion in the Antarctic and Arctic from the late middle Miocene to early Pliocene. In particular, the climatic oscillations during the Quaternary, such as the last glacial maximum, might have led to a decrease in the geographic distribution of Engelhardieae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Premise of research. Burretiodendron Rehder is a genus of six species that are mainly found on limestone in Southeast Asian mountain forests with a monsoonal climate. Recent molecular evidence supports its placement in Malvaceae s.l. Presently, two species of Burretiodendron have been classified as vulnerable according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Fossil Burretiodendron is also extremely rare in the record, and little is known about its evolutionary history. Methodology. Fossil fruits and leaves were collected from upper Miocene sediments in Yunnan (SW China). Their macro and micro morphology were studied and compared with all extant species of Burretiodendron and with species of fossil and extant Craigia W.W. Sm. & W.E. Evans having somewhat similar fruits. Pivotal results. We recognize fossil remains of Burretiodendron on the basis of fruits described as Burretiodendron parvifructum sp. nov. and associated leaves of Burretiodendron miocenicum sp. nov. Conclusions. These Miocene fossils are the first confirmed occurrence of this genus in the Southeast Asian fossil record. This discovery supports the possibility that southeastern Yunnan was already experiencing frostfree winters and seasonal precipitation with wet summers and relatively dry winters. It also corroborates the hypothesis that this genus might have originated at the Sino-Vietnamese border, where the biodiversity center of the genus is today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fossil fruits including nuts and associated husk valves of a new species of Carya (Juglandaceae) are described from the latest Miocene to earliest Pliocene in northeastern Tennessee, eastern United States. The husk valves are elliptic, 1.2-4.5 mm thick, with a convex exterior face and a concave interior face; the nuts are globose to ovoid in shape, smooth and longitudinally ribbed on exterior surface, with a short protruding apex and a slightly 4-angled base; inner ribs, lacunae and primary septa are well-developed, while secondary septa are absent or weakly developed. The combination of these carpological characteristics clearly shows a close resemblance to the genus Carya in Juglandaceae. Detailed comparisons of carpological morphology and anatomy indicate that the present fossil taxon is different from both living and most other fossil species of the genus, and therefore warrants the designation of a new fossil species, Carya tennesseensis Huang et al., sp. nov. Carya tennesseensis displays a carpological similarity to C. ventricosa from the late Oligocene to early Pliocene in Europe, suggesting a potential species exchange of the genus between Europe and southeastern North America during the late Neogene. The new fossil species represents one of the few fruit fossil species of Carya from its modern distribution range in southeastern North America. It provides crucial information for better understanding the rapid diversification of the genus from the late Miocene to early Pliocene, and the origin and establishment of today's Carya biodiversity in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A fossilised palm fruit of Cocos L. (C. binoriensis sp. nov.) is reported from the Binori Reserve Forest, Ghansor, Seoni District, Madhya Pradesh, India. The fruit is a 3-dimensionally preserved drupe, ovoid with clearly visible longitudinal ridges. The husk is made up of a thin smooth exocarp and fibrous mesocarp, with vertical and horizontal fibres present on the inner surface of the endocarp. The fruit is Maastrichtian-Danian in age and is the world's oldest fossil record of Cocos. The genus Cocos is now distributed in coastal areas of pantropical regions. The occurrence of Cocos along with coastal and mangrove remains such as Acrostichum, Barringtonia, Nypa, Sonneratia and marine algae Distichoplax and Peyssonellia previously recorded from Deccan Intertrappean beds further confirms the proximity of sea in the area in central India and indicates warm and humid conditions. The presence of Cocos and previously recorded palaeoflora supports the existence of tropical wet evergreen to semi-evergreen forests at the time of deposition in the area, in contrast to the dry to moist deciduous forests existing today in central India. The probable reasons for the change in climatic conditions are withdrawal of an arm of the sea from central India, the change in latitude, and a significant uplift of the Western Ghats during post-trappean times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Morphology and anatomy of the extinct angiosperm fruit, Porosia verrucosa (Lesqueruex) Hickey, are documented in detail based on various modes of preservation including molds, casts, and permineralizations from more than seventy localities in the late Cretaceous and Paleocene. The fruits are schizocarpic with paired unilocular, single-seeded mericarps seated on a prominent gynophore with an hypogynous perianth borne on a long pedicel. The most distinctive feature of these fruits is the regularly spaced cylindrical intrusions over the surface of the endocarp. These are interpreted to represent oil cavities similar to those common in the fruits of extant Rutaceae. The oldest known occurrences of P. verrucosa are from the Late Cretaceous (Campanian to Maastrichtian) of western North America, but the genus traversed Beringia and became widespread in the Paleocene both in Asia (Kazakhstan, Amur Region, and Koryak Highlands), and North America (Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Alberta, Saskatchewan). It extended to the late Paleocene in the Rocky Mountain and Great Plains region, and appears to have become extinct near the Paleocene-Eocene boundary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cocos sahnii Kaul, a fossil palm fruit, is validated and described from the Fuller's earth deposits of Kapurdi village of Rajasthan considered as Early Eocene in age. The fossil best resembles the genus Cocos, particularly Cocos nucifera L., which is now a common coastal element thriving in highly moist conditions. The recovery of this coconut-like fruit, along with earlier described evergreen taxa from the same formation, suggests the existence of typical tropical, warm and humid coastal conditions during the depositional period. The present arid to semi-arid climatic conditions occurring in Rajasthan indicate drastic climate change in the region during the Cenozoic. The possible time for the onset of aridity in the region which caused the total eradication of semi-evergreen to evergreen forests is discussed, as well as the palaeobiogeography of coconuts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Central American rainforests are among the most diverse biomes in the world today. However, we know little about their history because of a poor fossil record. Here, we augment previous studies based on fossil pollen of Panama with an investigation of eight species of endocarps and seeds from an upper Eocene locality near Tonosí on the Pacific coast of central Panama. Affinities at the family/order level include: Arecaceae, Vitaceae, Humiriaceae, Anacardiaceae, and Lamiales. Biogeographically, two of the Tonosí fossil taxa, Dracontomelon and cf. Leea, are interesting because they occur today only in lowland rainforests of the Old World. The new fossil genus Saxuva, together with cf. Leea, are the earliest evidence of Vitaceae (the grape family) in the Neotropics. The new genus Lacunofructus is the oldest record for Humiriaceae and supports the previously suggested Neotropical origin for the family. We interpret the Tonosí macroflora as a record of the vegetation which colonized land that emerged as part of the Eocene volcanic arc in southern Central America. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Flowers of many living Fagales exhibit unusual developmental characteristics. At anthesis, ovulate flowers have carpels bearing immature orthotropous ovules. After pollination, the ovules increase in size and become anatropous and the ovary enlarges. Simultaneously, the pollen tubes extend from the stigma to the ovules with several phases of growth and quiescence. Finally, after the first fertilization, the remaining ovules abort, resulting in a single-seeded fruit. Three-dimensionally preserved potentially fagaceous mesofossil flowers from the Campanian of Massachusetts, USA, provide evidence on the evolution of these characters. The fossils share putative synapomorphies with the Fagales (six tepals, mostly inferior, three-carpellate ovary with each locule initially containing two pendant ovules, punctate-rugulate, tricolporate pollen and fruit with a single seed). However, the fossil is bisexual and has nectaries, characters shared with the sister order Cucurbitales, and both lack the fagalean immature orthotropous developmental stage. The fossil shares synapomorphies of an inferior ovary and a single-seeded indehiscent fruit with both living orders and appears to be transitional. Comparison of ontogenetic changes between the fossil and related fagalean taxa suggests independent stepwise changes in development in which some characters of the modern clades were in place at ∼ 75 Myr and others evolved more recently. © 2012 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2012, 168, 353-376. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pterospermumocarpon (Type: P. kalviwadiensis), a new morphogenus of fossil fruits showing resemblance with fruits of extant Pterospermum Schreb. (Malvaceae s.l.), is described from the Sindhudurg Formation (Miocene) at the Kalviwadi Village, Sindhudurg District, Maharashtra, India. Diagnostic feature of the fossil taxon is the dehiscent pentalocular capsule with five distinct sutures and imprints of winged seed-like structures in the locules. Recent modifications in the systematics of the Malvales, their fossil record, and the distribution and migration of Pterospermum and other malvalean taxa in the context of the Indian subcontinent are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: An incomplete permineralized fruit was collected from Oligocene sediments of NW Italy (late Rupelian or early Chattian, roughly 30–27Ma). Its three-dimensionally preserved seed cast shows a U-shaped cross-section, typical of the mastixioids, a group of plants of the Cornales. The particular shape of the dorsal valve infold and seed locule allowed assignment of the fruit to the genus Mastixia rather than Eomastixia, whose endocarps possess an identical external morphology. Such a thick wall and coarse sculpture of the endocarp was not previously known in the European fossil record of Mastixia, therefore the specimen is considered a new species Mastixia rattazzii Martinetto, whose complete endocarp appearance has been hypothetically reconstructed by comparison with similar fossils. This new fossil demonstrates that mastixioids were growing to the south of the Alps, at least in the Oligocene. Unlike other thermophilous plants of the Miocene forests, the mastixioids do not seem having found a refuge in Italy when the late Neogene cold pulses affected central Europe. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: An early Miocene (ca. 23Ma) flora from the Foulden Maar diatomite deposit, Otago, southern New Zealand contains numerous organically-preserved fossil leaf compressions, flowers and fruits. A fossilised male partial lax inflorescence carrying in situ pollen of the type Nyssapollenites endobalteus (McIntyre) Kemp & Harris is assigned to Euphorbiaceae, subfamily Acalyphoideae, tribe Acalypheae. Leaves from the same site are referred to the Mallotus–Macaranga clade (Euphorbiaceae: Acalyphoideae) on the basis of leaf architecture and epidermal features and described as Malloranga fouldenensis gen. et sp. nov. In addition, euphorbiaceous trilobed capsular fruits are assigned to the form genus Euphorbiotheca as E. mallotoides sp. nov. and an immature infructescence is also described. The inflorescence, pollen, leaves and fruits blew or fell into a small enclosed maar lake and must have been derived from trees or shrubs growing around the lake margin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Dipterocarpus zhengae sp. nov. is described from the middle Miocene Fotan Group of Zhangpu county, Fujian Province, Southeast China on the basis of a fruit wing. Three kinds of venation of the calyx longer lobes (enlarged sepals) occur in the winged fruits of extant Dipterocarpus. The fossil species is referred to the kind having three primary veins and within that category is most similar to extant Dipterocarpus gracilis Blume in the size of the longer lobe as well as its venation. The occurrence of the fruit wing of Dipterocarpus, together with palynological evidence, indicates unequivocally that a tropical climate and tropical rain forest occurred in Zhangpu during the middle Miocene, warmer and more humid than at the present day. The palaeobiogeography of Dipterocarpus is reviewed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A small collection of fossil fruits of dicotyledonous plants, having close affinity with modern taxa, Ziziphus xylopyros Willd. (Rhamnaceae), Combretum decandrum Roxb. and Terminalia chebula Retz. (Combretaceae) and Lagerstroemia flos-reginae and Lagerstroemia parviflora (Lythraceae) is reported from the subsurface beds of the Cambay Shale Formation exposed in an open-cast lignite mine at Vastan village near Surat, western India. Well preserved fossilized fruits have limited transport to burial histories from their plant producers and therefore have great potential to provide excellent data about the character of forests such as the one that may have contributed to the formation of the extensive Lower Eocene lignite deposits of western India. The fossilized fruits from Vastan are referred here to four new form species, viz. Ziziphus eocenicus, Combretum vastanensis, Terminalia cambaya and Lagerstroemia sahnii. The habitat and present day distribution of extant comparable taxa suggest the prevalence of tropical deciduous forest with moisture-loving plants in the Vastan mine area during the Early Eocene period. Such deciduous forests presently occur in south Coimbatore, Palghat and moister parts of Mysore region of southern India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although Rhamnaceae are distributed worldwide today, the former hypothesis for its Laurasian origins may need to be reconsidered in view of recently discovered fossils from the Guaduas Formation of central Colombia (-68 Ma), including fossil leaves (Berhamniphyllum) and a fruit (Archaeopaliurus boyacensis). Recent phylogenetic studies calibrate the stem of Rhamnaceae at 64 Ma and divide the family into three groups, rhamnoid, ampeloziziphoid, and ziziphoid. Although the fruit, Archaeopaliurus boyacensis, resembles that of Paliurus and suggests a relationship to the Paliureae in the ziziphoid group, associated leaves of Berhamniphyllum conform in architecture to those found today only in the Rhamneae tribe. The Maastrichtian age of these fossils predates the ages previously estimated for the Rhamneae tribe (28.5 Ma) and the Paliureae tribe (31.6 Ma) using a modified clock approach. Based on the new megafossil evidence, two alternative ideas are proposed: (I) that these fossils predate the extant tribes or (2) that the family diversified into modern tribes earlier than previously proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A fossil fruit resembling extant Cocos nucifera of the family Arecaceae is reported for the first time from the early Eocene sediments of Gujarat. The fossil was collected from the Tarkeshwar lignite mine of the Surat District which belongs to the Cambay Shale Formation. Its occurrence indicates coastal conditions in the region during the depositional period in contrast to arid to semi-arid climate prevailing there at present. The present fossil, along with the previously published palyno-assemblages from the mine supports the equatorial position of the Indian subcontinent at the time of deposition i.e. during the early Eocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new genus and species with affinities to Ceratophyllaceae from the Lower Cretaceous of Kansas, USA is reported. The fruits of Donlesia dakotensis gen. et sp. nov. are smooth achenes with two winged lateral spines, two winged facial spines, one stylar spine, and a long peduncle with a distinctive groove. The facial spines are arranged perpendicular to the lateral spines. The seed contains two cotyledons and a central plumule. Dichotomous leaves associated with Donlesia dakotensis fruits are whorled, petiolate, and lack denticles. The fruit morphology of D. dakotensis differs from extant and fossil members of Ceratophyllaceae in its tetra-radial symmetry, the presence of two winged facial spines, a long peduncle, and the lack of other appendages on the fruit surface, It seems to be more closely related to section Ceratophyllum of extant Ceratophylluin. This relationship suggests that section Ceratophyllum of extant Ceratophyllum may represent the ancestral members of the ancient Ceratophyllum lineage. The presence of this species in the Dakota Formation further confirms that there were diverse aquatic plants living in freshwater lakes along the eastern margin of the Western Interior Seaway during the Early Cretaceous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigations of the Middle Eocene Princeton Chert reveal evidence for the connection of lauraceous flowers to fruits through a developmental series. Youngest fruits are found with attached floral remnants. Later stages show receptacle enlargement, fruit wall thickening, and the development of abundant sclereid clusters. Mature fruits are borne on a shallow receptacle and have an endocarp palisade layer of radially elongate cells with stellate outlines, an inner mesocarp layer of radiately arranged sclereid clusters, and a fleshy outer mesocarp layer containing numerous idioblasts with contents. Each mature fruit bears a single seed retaining the outer integument with an innermost radially elongate transfusion cell layer. Mature seeds contain a cellular embryo bearing idioblasts. Fruits are distinguishable from previously described anatomically preserved fossil taxa. This study represents the only documented developmental reconstruction of fossil fruits of Lauraceae and that self-pruning evolved prior to the Eocene. Anatomical modifications over the developmental sequence indicate that different stages of maturity preserved together, may be erroneously identified as several taxa at a fossil locality. Fossil morphotypes typically underestimate species number, but this study suggests that the number of inferred species based on fruit types may be inflated for Lauraceae, potentially exaggerating the tropical interpretation of the paleoenvironment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paleosecuridaca curtisii Pigg, DeVore, and Wojciechowski gen. et sp. nov. (Polygalaceae) is described for anatomically preserved, nonschizocarpic, asymmetric samaras from the Late Paleocene (Tiffanian 3) Almont and Beicegel Creek floras of North Dakota. Paleosecuridaca is quite similar to the extant genus Securidaca L. (Polygalaceae) but has several distinctive features that warrant the establishment of a new genus. Fruits are 2.5- 3.6 cm long (x = 3:0 cm, n = 16) with a central ovoid nut 0.6-1.25 cm long (x = 0:9 cm, n = 26), 0.35-0.8 cm wide (x = 0:6 cm, n = 26), and 0.25-0.3 cm thick attached to a broad wing with a small secondary wing on its upper surface. The wing is vascularized by several veins running parallel to its long axis at the top and others in the main body of the wing arching downward and outward, with a few interreticulations occurring between the major veins. The nut contains a single, large locule with two well-developed seeds, each with a seed coat that has a prominent palisade layer like that of many extant genera of Polygalaceae. Specimens lack the broad attachment surface characteristic of Acer and instead have a short peduncle. Paleosecuridaca resembles the compressed fruit DeviacerManchester fromthe Paleogene of western NorthAmerica, Europe, and Asia and may be its anatomically preserved equivalent. The Late Paleocene Paleosecuridaca is the oldest-known megafossil representative of the Polygalaceae, a family now nested within the Fabales (sensu APG II) along with Leguminosae, Surianaceae, and QuillajaMolina on the basis of newmolecular data.Together with the earliest record of Leguminosae fromthe Late Paleocene ofWyoming, these samaras provide independent evidence for an earlier divergence of these two families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cashew nuts have been identified among compression fossils from the early Middle Eocene lake sediments of Messel, Germany. These fossil fruits confirm that the cashew genus, Anacardium, was formerly distributed in Europe, remote from the modern native distribution in Central and South America. Anacardium germanicum sp. n. shows that the characteristic inflated pedicel, or ''cashew apple,'' which facilitates biotic dispersal of cashew nuts, evolved at least 47 million yr ago. It was previously proposed that Anacardium and its African sister genus, Fegimanra, diverged from their common ancestor when the landmasses of Africa and South America separated. However, the paleobotanical data indicate a connection via the Northern Hemisphere with Europe as an important footstep in the spread of this clade between Africa and the New World. The former North Atlantic landbridge connecting North America and Europe via Greenland is implicated in the phytogeographic spread of Anacardium during the Early and Middle Eocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High resolution x-ray computed tomography (HRXCT) was used to image pyritized fossil fruits from the Lower Eocene London Clay flora to test the utility of this technique for paleobotanical application. The combination of carbon-pyrite preservation and void spaces between fruit and seed layers within fossils provides differences in density and composition that enable excellent imaging. Fossil fruits of Palaeorhodomyrtus subangulata (Bowerbank) Reid & Chandler (Myrtaceae) were investigated in Situ within their silicone fluid conservation medium, which protects these unstable fossils from oxygen and humidity. HRXCT recovers taxonomically informative anatomical and morphological detail and provides a means of nondestructive examination of delicate type materials and other important specimens. These results suggest that I-IRXCT will be applicable to a broad spectrum of pyritized fossils to record structural details in inherently unstable materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A taxonomic reassessment of Symplocos from the Neogene of Europe is proposed based on morphological and anatomical features of fruit stones at the macro- and mesoscopic scale. In light of the large extent of polymorphism observed in fossil and recent stones, we dramatically reduced the number of species in the European Neogene. Only 11 out of 26 fossil species cited in the literature of the last two decades were still considered valid, and, due to the species concept we applied, we suggest that this number roughly corresponds to the number of ancient botanical species which actually grew in the lowlands of Europe from 30 to 2 My ago. The characters of the valid species are extensively illustrated to provide a guide for species identification. An updated overview of the stratigraphic and geographic distribution of the species of the European Neogene is also provided. A comparative analysis of fossil fruits and analogous modern material (poorly available) has been carried out with the aim to derive climatic information from modern plants. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Shirleya grahamae Pigg & DeVore gen. et sp. nov. (Lythraceae) is established for silicified fruits from the middle Miocene Yakima Canyon of central Washington State, USA. The capsules are 10 mm long × 11.5-12.5 mm wide, enclosed in a persistent floral tube and contain 5-7 locules. They are loculicidally dehiscent, fracturing into fragments and leaving the central axis free. Placentation is axile. Five to seven mature seeds are tightly packed per locule, often with several smaller seeds. Seeds are winged, anatropous, and narrowly attached subapically to the central axis, curving basally and radially within the fruit. They are up to ∼4.6 mm long × 1.9 mm wide, with a small, triangular embryo cavity and a prominent distal wing. The inflated wing is filled with a bibbed parenchymatous pad of tissue with a central cavity. Shirleya grahamae is assigned to the Lythraceae, and is most similar to Lagerstroemia, based on the synapomorphies of distally winged seeds and revolute cotyledons. Shirleya differs from Lagerstroemia in seed arrangement, and pericarp and wing anatomy. This study provides the first anatomical information about a Miocene Lagerstroemia-like fruit and documents further diversity of the Lythraceae in the Neogene of northwestern North America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vertebrate dispersal of fruits and seeds is a common feature of many modern angiosperms and gymnosperms, yet the evolution and frequency of this feature in the fossil record remain unclear. Increasingly complex information suggests that (a) plants had the necessary morphological features for vertebrate dispersal by the Pennsylvanian, but possibly in the absence of clear vertebrate dispersal agents; (b) vertebrate herbivores first diversified in the Permian, and consistent dispersal relationships became possible; (c) the Mesozoic was dominated by large herbivorous dinosaurs, possible sources of diffuse, whole-plant dispersal; (d) simultaneously, several groups of small vertebrates, including lizards and, in the later Mesozoic, birds and mammals, could have established more specific vertebrate-plant associations, but supporting evidence is rudimentary; and (e) the diversification of small mammals and birds in the Tertiary established a consistent basis for organ-level interactions, allowing for the widespread occurrence of biotic dispersal in gymnosperms and angiosperms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]