Ploufolia cerciforme gen. et comb. nov.: Aquatic angiosperm leaves from the Upper Albian of north-eastern Spain

Abstract

An aquatic angiosperm, Ploufolia cerciforme gen. et comb. nov., is reported from the Upper Albian of the Utrillas Formation at the Plou locality, Teruel Province, north-eastern Spain. Ploufolia cerciforme shows eccentric peltate attachment, elliptic to obovate nanophylls, one medial primary vein and lateral veins that dichotomize several times before merging into an intramarginal vein, which links small glands that occur on the convex portions of the marginal undulations. Ploufolia cerciforme shows most affinities with extant Nymphaeales and both sedimentological and taphonomic evidence supports a freshwater lacustrine habit for P. cerciforme. The presence of marginal glands in leaves of P. cerciforme is related to a leaf guttation mechanism, as occurs in plants living in water saturated habitats. By the Albian, aquatic angiosperms were already well diversified and often dominant in western European wetland environments.