A new fossil Cedrus species from the early Miocene of northwestern Turkey and its possible affinities

Abstract

A new fossil species, Cedrus anatolica n. sp., is described from the early Miocene Hançili Formation of Turkey. All analyses were performed on the thin sections housed at Istanbul University – Cerrahpasa. The new species was interpreted as having the closest affinity with the modern Mediterranean species Cedrus atlantica (Endlicher) Manetti ex Carriere and Cedrus libani Richard. The evolutionary line shows some changes in wood anatomy. From the early Cretaceous to the early Miocene, the pits on the tangential walls of the tracheids gradually decreased, the height of rays increased and the number of epithelial cells in the traumatic resin canals increased slightly. These features are similar in three modern species; other wood anatomical features are also quite stable among the new fossil and modern species.