Abstract
An early Miocene (ca. 23 Ma) 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.
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