Paleocene gymnosperms from Mount Somers, New Zealand

Abstract

Thirteen conifer macrofossils and a gymnospermous leaf of uncertain affinity are documented from the early‐mid Paleocene of the Mount Somers coal mine, Canterbury, New Zealand Podocarpaceae are prominent and diverse Two taxa are formally described as new genera of Podocarpaceae, Mumu somerensis gen et sp nov and Tiotio imbricatus gen et sp nov A second species of Kakahuta K drinnanu, is described There are also two species of Prumnopitys, P limaniae sp nov and P sp ‘Mt Somers’ A further five taxa of Podocarpaceae are informally described Shoots with decussately‐arranged scale leaves are identified as Libocedrus cf L bidwillii (Cupressaceae) Paahake papillatus gen et sp nov is compared with Sciadopitvs (Taxodiaceae) and Torreya (Taxaceae) A single small piece of cuticle belongs in the Araucanaceae and is tentatively identified as Araucana An additional new genus and species, Hoiki mcqueenu gen et sp nov , has an unusual epidemial morphology with transversely oriented stomates but is of unknown affinity These species grew in a clastic swamp where Podocarpaceae formed one of the major elements The Libocedrus and Prumnopitys specimens are the oldest macrotossil records of a conifer genus extant in New Zealand New terms are introduced for stomatal distribution on conifer leaves