J Syst Evol ›› 2013, Vol. 51 ›› Issue (5): 601-608.DOI: 10.1111/jse.12035

• Research Articles • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Details of compressions of Glyptostrobus (Cupressaceae s.l.) from the Eocene of Fushun, NE China

1Qing-Wen MA 2Sergey Vasilyevich VIKULIN 3Cheng-Sen LI 3Yu-Fei WANG   

  1. 1(Beijing Museum of Natural History, Beijing 100050, China)
    2(V. L. Komarov Botanical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, St Petersburg 197376, Russia)
    3(Institute of Botany, Chinese Academic of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China)
  • Received:2012-03-26 Published:2013-08-15

Abstract: Branches and leafy shoots of fossil Glyptostrobus Endlicher (Cupressaceae s.l.), preserved as compressions of leaf cuticle with stomata and a single scale of a seed cone, have been found for the first time in the Jijuntun Formations of the Eocene in Fushun, Liaoning Province, NE China. These fossil remains are identified asGlyptostrobus by comparing them with Sequoia, Metasequoia, and Taxodium, which are commonly in association and have similar morphological features. The fossil remains are assigned to Glyptostrobus based on characters of leaf morphotypes, phyllotaxis, leaf apex, leaf base, epidermal cell morphology, orientation of stomata, and a single flabellate ovuliferous scale of a seed cone. All of the characteristics of the fossil remains are in agreement with those of the diagnosis of G. europaeus(Brongn.) Ung. These newly described Glyptostrobus specimens from China represent linear, linear-subulate, and scale-like leaves. The species G. europaeus is common for Eurasia where it has a wide geographic and stratigraphic range, but the cuticle characteristics of the species are rarely reported. In China, fossil remains of G. europaeus have been found in the provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Xinjiang, Yunnan, and Hong Kong.

Key words: cone scale, Cupressaceae s.l., cuticle, Eocene, Glyptostrobus