Abstract
ABSTRACTThis contribution presents descriptions of 14 fossil woods from the Piedra Chamana Fossil Forest in Peru, an assemblage of fossil woods and leaves dated at 39 Ma (late Middle Eocene). It is part two of the descriptions of the non-monocot angiosperm fossils from the site (see Woodcock et al. 2017). The woods are assigned to the subfamilies Bombacoideae, Bombacoideae/Malvoideae, Byttneroideae, Grewioideae, and Sterculioideae of Malvaceae and the families Melastomataceae, Muntingiaceae, Rubiaceae, Rutaceae, and Sapindaceae. Malvalean taxa make up around one-third of the wood types. Many of the woods are identifiable to modern-day genera or groups, including genera with species counted among the hyperdominant trees of the New World forests. Represented vegetation types include mixed freshwater swamp with Avicennia, seasonally flooded forest, and lowland tropical forest with a dry aspect. The assemblage shows floristic similarities to extant South American lowland tropical forest, particularly the seasonally flooded forests growing along white water rivers (várzea); however, the dry forest association has a less clear analog in the present-day tropics.
Highlights
The Piedra Chamana fossils are a 39 Ma assemblage of fossil woods and leaves preserved in ashfall and volcanic flow deposits at a site in northern Peru (Woodcock et al 2009)
Descriptions of 17 of the non-monocot angiosperm wood types represented in the assemblage were published in an earlier contribution (Woodcock et al 2017), which includes information about the geological and paleontological context
Woods described previously were referred to the families Acanthaceae, Anacardiaceae (2 wood types), Apocynaceae, Combretaceae, Cordiaceae (3 wood types), Dipterocarpaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae (3 wood types), Lecythidaceae, and Lythraceae (3 wood types)
Summary
The Piedra Chamana fossils are a 39 Ma assemblage of fossil woods and leaves preserved in ashfall and volcanic flow deposits at a site in northern Peru (Woodcock et al 2009). In the InsideWood database, the combination of large intervessel pits, parenchyma diffuse-in-aggregates and marginal, larger rays 4–10-seriate, sheath cells, and axial parenchyma and/or vessel elements storied (IAWA characters 27, 77, 89, 98, 110, 120) occurs only in Malvaceae – Bombacoideae [Adansonia, Ceiba, Chorisia ( Ceiba)].
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
