A Report on Newly Recovered Reproductive Structures from the Cenomanian of Bohemia (Central Europe)

Abstract

We report on newly recovered fossil reproductive structures from two Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) localities in the Czech Republic, Central Europe. The fossils comprise slightly compressed, lignified, or charcoalified inflorescence axes, flowers, and isolated stamens and are associated with abundant charcoalified angiosperm wood and leaf compressions. The new material includes eight distinct taxa, most of which appear to have affinity to the magnoliids and to the Lauraceae, Chloranthaceae, and Annonaceae in particular. All flowers preserved attached to inflorescences are small and borne in the axil of a well‐developed bract; the most complete specimens have massive stamens, frequently with a large amount of sterile tissue. Fruiting specimens have unilocular fruits arranged in spicate infructescences.