Miocene Flora Research Articles

Community assembly of tropical Fagaceae-dominated forests in Thailand dates back at least to the Late Palaeogene

AbstractThe Late Oligocene to Early Miocene flora of the Ban Pa Kha Subbasin (Li Basin, northern Thailand) provides a record of montane dry tropical oak-pine forests. The rich ensemble of Fagaceae typical of these forests might have existed in the wider region of Southeast Asia since Eocene times and various fossil plant assemblages represented both lowland (Fagaceae, Dipterocarpaceae) and upland (Fagaceae, Pinaceae) tropical forests. These findings are in conflict with previous interpretations of vegetation development in northern Thailand, which stressed that stratigraphically older (possibly Late Oligocene) spore and pollen assemblages in northern Thailand were markedly different from the modern tropical flora and had a distinct northern temperate character. A major change in climate would have caused a dramatic shift to tropical conditions since the Mid-Miocene. Considering palaeobotanical data from adjacent regions in Southeast Asia, we suggest that differences in spore and pollen assemblages in intermontane basins in northern Thailand are more likely to represent different facies and lowland/upland settings. Assembly of these forest ecosystems, typically comprising Quercus sections Cyclobalanopsis, Ilex and Quercus, pollen of Castaneoideae with affinities to Castanopsis and Lithocarpus, and extinct fagaceous genera such as Eotrigonobalanus, most probably dates back to the Eocene. The absence of oaks of Quercus section Cerris in the spore and pollen assemblage of the Ban Pa Kha Subbasin, despite this group being part of the modern vegetation, might reflect the late arrival (secondary radiation) of this chiefly temperate group in tropical Southeast Asia.

Leaf trait data of two Miocene floras from eastern China and its palaeoclimate implications

Leaf trait data of two Miocene floras from eastern China and its palaeoclimate implications

New data on the genus Cornus L. (Cornaceae) in the Bulgarian Miocene flora

New data on the distribution of species of the genus Cornus on the territory of Bulgaria during the Miocene are presented. The species C. megaphylla was found for the first time in the middle Miocene flora from Satovcha (SW Bulgaria). So far, this species has been established in the middle Miocene flora from Ruzhintsi (NW Bulgaria). A revision of the species C. distans from the Satovcha paleoflora as Cornus aff. alba has also been made. A new finding of a leaf imprint from the Satovcha local paleoflora proves that the fossil material has the closest morphological features to the recent species C. alba.

LATE-MIOCENE MOLDAVIAN PETRIFIED FOREST

A collection of petrified wood, hosted by the Natural Sciences Section of the Museum “Vasile Pârvan” from Bârlad, was submitted to a palaeoxylotomical study. The samples come from the central part of Moldova, Northward of Bârlad, and were collected from Simila gravel-quarry, from fluvial-deltaic sediments of Maeotian age, most probably representing reworked elements from a Sarmatian formation which occurs in situ more Northward, in Soleşti-Avereşti-Huşi area. Previous palaeobotanical studies made in that region outlined an interesting Late Miocene Flora on the Moldavian Platform, and the palaeoxylotomical studies confirmed in that area the presence of forests with conifers, elms, oaks and poplars. The results of the present study show the following taxa identified taxa: Glyptostroboxylon cf. rudolphii Dolezych et Van der Burgh, Ulmoxylon scabroides Greguss, Quercoxylon bavaricum Selmeier, Quercoxylon intermedium Petrescu et Velitzelos, Populoxylon tremuloides Iamandei et Iamandei, and Prunoidoxylon multiporosum Dupéron.

New data on the Middle Miocene flora of Northwest Bulgaria

New data on the Middle Miocene flora of Northwest Bulgaria

A new Early Miocene (Ottnangian) flora of the “Rzehakia Beds” from Brno-Líšeň

The fossil flora from brackish late Burdigalian (Ottnangian) sediments in Brno-Líšeň (the Czech Republic) contributes to our knowledge of floristic evolution and palaeoclimatic changes in the Western Carpathians. The fossil material investigated for this study comprises fragmentary leaf imprints, few fruits/seeds, and dispersed pollen from a single palynomorph-rich sample. Macro remains include 3 ferns (Osmunda parschlugiana, Salvinia reussii, ?Polypodiaceae gen. et sp. indet.) and 17 angiosperms (e.g., Daphnogene polymorpha, “Parrotia” pristina, Leguminophyllum spp., Podocarpium podocarpum, cf. Engelhardia orsbergensis, Ulmus sp., Schoenoplectiella cf. ragozinii). The palynospectrum comprises 106 taxa, including abundant palaeotropical elements of zonal evergreen forest, i.e., Sapotaceae, Palmae, Engelhardia, Platycarya, Fagaceae, Araliaceae and Cornus-Mastixia, accompanied by arctotertiary elements of deciduous zonal forest (Quercus, Carpinus, Fagus, Carya, Juglans, Tilia, Betula, Parrotia) and deciduous azonal (riparian) forest (e.g., Alnus, Salix, Ulmus). Aquatic plants, algae (Prasinophyceae, Botryococcus) and marine dinoflagellates indicate a marine environment with freshwater impact. Plant taxa possibly representing open areas such as Olea, Celtis, Buxus, Ephedra, Rosaceae and Poaceae are sporadic, as well as conifers of extrazonal forest such as Cedrus, Tsuga, Picea. The studied palynospectrum contains abundant thermophilic elements and does not point to a cooling event, as reported by previous authors from the Polish part of the Carpathian Foredeep.

Flora, vegetation and climate assessment of the Early/Middle Miocene Parschlug flora indicates a distinctly seasonal climate

The late Early/early Middle Miocene flora from Parschlug (Styria, Austria) is famous for its numerous specimens and high diversity. Some taxa previously described are revised here and 42 new angiosperm leaf morphotypes/taxa are described. The Climate Leaf Analysis Multivariate Program (CLAMP) is applied to assess the palaeoclimate. An update of the tool to assess the most suitable modern climate CLAMP calibration dataset is introduced. The Integrated Plant Record (IPR) vegetation analysis, assessing the most likely major vegetation type represented by a fossil flora, and similarity approaches Drudges 1 and 2, indicating the most similar modern vegetation proxies, had been previously applied to data from Parschlug. Both are again applied here on the enlarged floristic spectrum. The results indicate “sclerophyllous subhumid forest” as the most likely major zonal vegetation type for Parschlug and European vegetation, namely “Thermophilous mixed deciduous broadleaved forests”, distributed today in southern and southeastern Europe, as the most similar modern vegetation. The climate for Parschlug, inferred from CLAMP and the climate in the region of the modern vegetation proxies, indicates distinct seasonality in precipitation and temperature.

First water lily, a leaf of Nymphaea sp., from the Miocene Clarkia flora, northern Idaho, USA: Occurrence, taphonomic observations, floristic implications

Although the Miocene Clarkia locality in Idaho, USA, is a well-known fossil lagerstätte, this 16-million-year-old flora is especially renowned for its abundant leaves with excellent preservation. The exquisite condition of its dicot leaves has resulted in detailed research on systematics, morphology, venation, epidermal structure, cell ultrastructure, biochemistry, and even molecular biology. However, new discoveries continue to emerge, even after five decades of research. Here we describe the first water lily leaf from the Clarkia flora as Nymphaea sp. based on its form, petiole attachment, and venation. The eccentric peltate leaf is ovate with a cordate base, a deep basal sinus, entire margins, and actinodromous primary venation. Its small, unblemished condition and leathery texture suggests that it is a young floating leaf. While rare in the Clarkia Lake deposits, the occurrence of a single water lily leaf among tens of thousands of dicot and conifer leaves follows the taphonomic pattern of nearby Middle Miocene floras, two of which have yielded Nymphaea pollen. The recognition of Nymphaea at Clarkia supplements the taxonomic composition of the flora, confirms the presence of water lilies in region during the Middle Miocene, and completes our understanding of plant life in the Pacific Northwest 16 million years ago.

Assessment of Phytogeographic Reference Regions for Cenozoic vegetation: a case study on the Miocene flora of Wiesa (Germany)

During the Miocene Climatic Optimum, a global long-term warm interval, European mid-latitude regions experienced a subtropical palaeoclimate. In particular, areas in eastern Germany were part of a vegetational zone with evergreen broadleaved forests, characterized by subtropical taxa. Regional palaeofloristic concepts denominated this palaeovegetation Younger Mastixioideae Flora sensu Mai (1964). Type assemblage is the late Early Miocene flora of Wiesa. Here, we reevaluate its floristic composition with respect to nearest living relatives of fossil-taxa, and introduce the new approach Phytogeographic Reference Region Assessment (PRRA) to ascertain the area of most similar extant vegetation for the Wiesa assemblage. The southern belt of SE Asian subtropical evergreen broadleaved forest and its transition to tropical mountain evergreen broadleaved forest in SW China represent the most similar extant vegetation. The Wiesa assemblage is compared to two diverse plant macroassemblages from the late Oligocene and the Late Miocene, respectively, coming from the same region and palaeoenvironmental setting. It is demonstrated that diversity and abundances of subtropical taxa markedly increased towards the Early Miocene, and specific climate-sensitive taxa occurred. The regional palaeoclimate was subtropical-humid (Köppen-Trewartha type Cf), with a growing season eleven months long. The late Oligocene and Late Miocene climates were mainly distinct in nine-month growing season lengths and cooler winters (1–3 °C).

Palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of the late Miocene macroflora of La Bisbal d'Empordà (Catalonia, Spain). Comparison with small mammals

The late Miocene flora from La Bisbal d'Empordà (Catalonia, Spain) provides significant data for characterising the coastal vegetation from the north-eastern Iberian Peninsula during a key period in Neogene climatic evolution. To this end, a historical leaf collection from La Bisbal d'Empordà was re-examined, analysed from a palaeoenvironmental viewpoint and compared with data provided by the associated small mammal fauna. This flora dates from 9.6–9.7 Ma in age (early Tortonian) according to small mammal biostratigraphy.The fossil-bearing beds were deposited in the floodplain of a meandering river system. Three palaeoecological assemblages were recognized: 1) Helophytic plant stems related to a wetland community. 2) Torn leaves of Fraxinus sp., Ulmus sp., Zelkova sp., Cedrelospermum sp. Populus balsamoides, Alnus gaudinii, Carpinus sp., Platanus sp., Acer tricuspidatum, Daphnogene sp. and, Laurophyllum sp. which would have belonged to a riparian forest located beyond the wetland community, with Fraxinus being the plant growing in closest proximity; 3) Isolated complete Paliurus seeds, interpreted as mainly wind-transported, which provide evidence of an open and more arid landscape situated distally from the floodplain. The small mammal assemblages associated with this flora are consistent with this palaeoenvironmental interpretation. The paucity of small arboreal mammal taxa and insectivores suggests limited forested vegetation areas, while the more common terrestrial species indicate better developed open landscapes. Our results show a more heterogeneous environment than previously thought and that the riverine processes impinged the flora, somewhat limiting the climatic conclusions that might be derived from leaf physiognomic analyses such as CLAMP.

Catalogue of revised and new plant macrofossils from the Aquitanian-Burdigalian of Soma (W Turkey) – Biogeographic and palaeoclimatic implications

The position of Turkey between Europe and Asia makes this region interesting for palaeobotanical investigations. We investigated plant macrofossils from early Miocene deposits of W Turkey (Soma, Manisa) and compiled a catalogue of revised and new plant taxa. We documented 100 fossil-taxa, of which several are new for Turkey (Mahonia aff. pseudosimplex, Ziziphus paradisiaca, Comptonia longirostris, Carya denticulata, Viscum, Fatsia, Pungiphyllum cruciatum). Some previous records are rejected (e.g. Apocynophyllum, Cassia, Castanea, Ficus, Illicium, Liriodendron, Vaccinium). Using modern ecology and taphonomy, we reconstructed palaeoenvironments. We found evidence for a belt of drier, more open habitats with cycads, Dracaena, Mahonia, Smilax miohavanensis, and others. Other vegetation units comprise swamp and riparian forest with few dominants (expressed in high abundance of leaf specimens). On well-drained soils, lowland forest with large-leaved Lauraceae vel Fagaceae and rare elements (Fatsia) was present, while humid temperate broadleaf-deciduous and conifer forest flourished higher up. To infer palaeoclimate we used the Climate Leaf Analysis Multivariate Program (CLAMP) and compared the results with other Miocene localities of Turkey. Early Miocene floras had warm climates (mean annual temperature, MAT, and coldest month temperature, CMMT) with weak precipitation seasonality. MAT and CMMT were cooler during the early middle Miocene. Several fossil-taxa at Soma have biogeographic links with older/coeval localities in C Europe and/or the W Mediterranean region (cycads, Torreya, Dracaena, Smilax miohavanensis, Mahonia aff. pseudosimplex, Carya denticulata, Ilex miodipyrena, Pungiphyllum). Few taxa have clear links to C Asian floras (Comptonia longirostris). True E Mediterranean endemics are even rarer (Mahonia spp., Quercus sosnowskyi).

Southern High-Latitude Plant-Insect Interactions from the Miocene of Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

Premise of research. The Miocene Punta Basílica Beds (northeast of Tierra del Fuego, Patagonia, Argentina) preserved a flora rich in insect herbivory traces. Here we document its insect damage and compare it with three Miocene floras from northwestern Argentina (low-latitude San José and Palo Pintado) and New Zealand (high-latitude Hindon Maar). In addition, comparisons are established for insect damage observed on Miocene Nothofagus in the Punta Basílica flora and the New Zealand Hindon Maar, Double Hill, and Kaikorai floras.Methodology. Plant-insect interactions were photographed and determined for 209 fossil leaves collected at the Punta Basílica locality. Leaves were censused for the presence/absence of functional feeding types.Pivotal results. Six functional feeding groups and 26 damage types (DTs) were recognized: hole (seven DTs) and margin (five DTs) feeding, skeletonization (six DTs), piercing and sucking (two DTs), mining (three DTs), and galling (three DTs). Nothofagus spp. are the most affected members of the paleoflora. Both of the low-latitude paleofloras compared have lower percentages of damaged leaves than the high-latitude ones; hole and margin feeding, mining, and skeletonization are recognized at all floras. Hole and margin feeding and skeletonization are recognized on Nothofagus leaves and are the most common functional feeding groups; hole feeding on Nothofagus is more prominent at Hindon Maar and Kaikorai than at Double Hill and Punta Basilíca. Additionally, Nothofagus specimens from Hindon Maar and Punta Basílica have evidence of mining, whereas galling is observed only on the New Zealand leaves. The Punta Basílica Nothofagus specimens are the only ones with piercing and sucking.Conclusions. Southernmost Miocene records of leaf herbivory worldwide and the first record from Argentine Patagonia are rich and comprise several functional feeding groups also observed in other Miocene paleofloras from the Southern Hemisphere. Clearly, multiple biotic and abiotic factors explain differences in the intensity of folivory. This report evidences the need for additional studies on herbivory at high-latitude floras.

Palaeoclimate reconstruction and age assessment of the Miocene flora from the Trwyn y Parc solution pipe complex of Anglesey, Wales, UK

The Trwyn y Parc solution pipes on the Isle of Anglesey, Wales, UK are one of only three onshore Miocene fossil flora bearing sites. Here, we revise the palynostratigraphy and present new palaeoclimate data for this geoheritage site. By comparison to palynological data from northern Europe the age has been refined from Miocene to Middle Miocene, possibly Langhian. This is confirmed by palaeoclimate reconstructions comparable to the German Middle Miocene, especially the Langhian after the Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum (MMCO). This new information not only confirms the regional importance of Trwyn y Parc, but shows it to be of national importance. Our findings show that this Regionally Important Geodiversity Site (RIGs) is of national importance as it is the oldest onshore fossiliferous Neogene deposit in the UK. Based on this, and the unique fossil flora preserved at Trwyn y Parc, the site has significant geoheritage value and should be upgraded to Geological Conservation Review (GCR) status and subsequently protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

Fossil Gordonia (s.l.)\u2013like (Theaceae) winged seeds from the early Miocene of the Mecsek Mts, W Hungary

Winged seeds were recovered from two sites of the late early Miocene (Karpatian) flora of Magyaregregy, Mecsek Mts, W Hungary. The seeds are assigned to the fossil-genus and species, Mecsekispermum gordonioides Hably and Erdei gen. nov. et sp. nov., and are tentatively related to the family Theaceae. Based on the overall character of the winged seeds and the isodiametric surface pattern of the seed coat, the seeds are most comparable with species of Gordonia J. Ellis (s.l.,) in Theeae (Laplacea Kunth or Polyspora Sweet). A comparison with winged seeds of other fossil genera, e.g. Saportaspermum Meyer and Manchester, and winged seeds of modern genera in various families is also given. The fossil flora is preserved in the fish scale-bearing clay marl belonging to the Feked Formation and Komló Claymarl Member and dated as Karpatian (late Burdigalian, standard chronostratigraphy).

New leaf species from the upper Miocene flora of the leaf-bearing Wischgrund clay (Lower Lusatia, Brandenburg, Germany)

This is a brief outline of the fossil content of the Wischgrund leaf-bearing clay (Lower Lusatia, Brandenburg State, Germany), which belongs to the youngest Neogene layers of Lower Lusatia (upper Miocene, Tortonian). It is a deciduous temperate flora, with a small proportion of evergreen species. The reconstructed vegetation can be assigned to an azonal swamp forest with Taxodium and a riparian forest with Liquidambar and Acer as the most frequent species. Furthermore, a zonal Mixed Mesophytic Forest characterized by Quercus and Fagus is proposed in upland positions. The flora consists of 78 species of leaves, 51 carpological species and 82 palynological groups. The climate belongs to Cfa-type according to Köppen. Two new species of leaves are described from there, Pyracantha pseudococcinea sp. nov. and Ternstroemites klettwitzensis sp. nov.

The Miocene Red Lake macroflora of the Deadman River Formation (Chilcotin Group), Interior Plateau, British Columbia, Canada

Despite early interest in Neogene floras, primarily Miocene sites associated with Mio–Pliocene volcanic deposits of the Interior Plateau of British Columbia, few systematic accounts of the Miocene macrofloras of British Columbia – or elsewhere in non-Arctic Canada – have been published since the pioneering studies of J.W. Dawson and his contemporaries in the late 19th century. In this report, the Red Lake macroflora from sediments of the middle Miocene Deadman River Formation exposed in the Red Lake diatomite mine north of Kamloops, British Columbia, is illustrated, and a preliminary assessment presented, along with a brief review of Miocene floras from British Columbia and the U.S. Pacific Northwest. The Red Lake macroflora contains rare Ginkgo leaves, shoots of Cupressaceae (Cupressinocladus, Metasequoia, Taxodium) and shoots and seeds of Pinaceae (Pseudotsuga, Tsuga), maple (Acer) seeds and leaves, Liquidambar (fruit), Trochodendraceae (Zizyphoides auriculata leaves, Nordenskioeldia interglacialis fruits), leaves of 4 species of red and white oaks (Quercus columbiana, Q. prelobata, Q. pseudolyrata, Quercus sp.), leaves of an alder (Alnus harneyana) and birch (Betula thor), chestnut (Castanea spokanensis), beech (Fagus pacifica), sycamore (Platanus dissecta), elm (Ulmus speciosa), leaves of unidentified taxa, fruits of Tilia pedunculata (Malvaceae) and fruits and inflorescences of other unidentified taxa, and leaves of a reed or rush (indet. monocot). The Red Lake middle Miocene climate reconstructed from leaf physiognomy was temperate and mesic, with mean annual temperature ~11–13°C, mild winters (coldest month mean temperature ~3°C), mean annual precipitation 170 −51/+73 cm/yr, and growing season precipitation ~92 cm, with moderate seasonality of precipitation (three wettest months ~51 cm vs. three driest months ~25 cm). The Red Lake flora shows similarities to middle to late Miocene floras from the U.S. Pacific Northwest (i.e., richness in oaks) but is of much lower diversity and lacks key elements common to many of the contemporaneous U.S. Miocene floras (e.g., foliage of Pinaceae esp. Pinus), and is missing taxa detected in the microflora, a pattern likely due to sampling effectiveness at the Red Lake Mine and sampling of different lithofacies for macro- and microfloras.

Late middle Miocene Konan flora from northern Hokkaido, Japan

Plant macrofossils from the upper middle Miocene Konan Tuffaceous Sandstone and Mudstone Member of the Bifuka Formation, known as the Konan flora, northwest of Shibetsu City, Hokkaido, Japan, were taxonomically revised. A total of 31 taxa were recognized, which were assigned to 14 families and 19 genera, including a new fossil species, Salix palaeofutura sp. nov. The Konan flora includes three taxa of evergreen conifers, one perennial monocot herb and 27 deciduous dicots. The most abundant and common species were Fagus palaeojaponica, Acer subcarpinifolium, Acer protojaponicum, Picea sp. A and Cercidiphyllum crenatum, in addition to a number of species of the Betulaceae and Salicaceae. From the absence of evergreen angiosperms as well as the common occurrence of Fagus palaeojaponica, Picea, Acer and Betulaceae species, this flora was comparable to that seen in the modern Mixed Northern Hardwood Forest of East Asia, which is distributed in northernmost Honshu and extends toward lowland Hokkaido. On the basis of floral features, mode of occurrence, and the lithology of plant-bearing beds, the Konan flora was deemed to represent mountain to riverside vegetation with humid and cool temperate climatic conditions. In contrast to the early to late Miocene floras in Japan, the Konan flora belongs to the late Miocene–Pliocene Mitoku-type flora, with a few relict species from the early Miocene. The Konan flora represents one of the earliest occurrences of this type of flora, suggesting that floral modernization was initiated much earlier in areas with humid and cool temperate climate than previously thought.

CLAMP-based palaeoclimatic analysis of the late Miocene (Tortonian) flora from La Cerdanya Basin of Catalonia, Spain, and an estimation of the palaeoaltitude of the eastern Pyrenees

We analyse the late Miocene (early Tortonian) climate of the La Cerdanya Basin (Catalonia, Spain) using the Climate Leaf Analysis Multivariate Program (CLAMP) based on an assemblage comprising twenty-nine dicot leaf taxa. Results show a mean annual temperature of 11.4 ± 2.1 °C. The coldest mean monthly temperature was 1.8 ± 3.4 °C while the warmest was 21.6 ± 2.5 °C. Growing season was 6.8 ± 1.1 months in duration. Precipitation during this period was 1082 ± 317 mm, reaching 661 ± 38 mm in the three wettest consecutive months, while in the three driest months it was 194 ± 229 mm. These results indicate a permanently humid temperate climate, with warm and wet summers. Compared with published palaeoclimatic results obtained using the Coexistence Approach method, our CLAMP analysis indicates lower temperatures and higher rainfall during the driest month. The climatic parameters are consistent with the occurrence of a temperate mixed evergreen and broadleaf deciduous fossil assemblage in the late Miocene of the La Cerdanya Basin. The assemblage contains more taxa in common with coeval localities from northern and central Europe than with Mediterranean sites; its closest modern analogue is with the montane flora from Honshu Island (Japan). Palaeoaltitudinal estimation using the terrestrial lapse rate method suggests that the La Cerdanya Basin was positioned at 1100–1550 m during early Tortonian times. These results challenge previous palynological and isotopic studies that inferred a palaeoaltitude of c. 600 m in early Tortonian-Messinian times.

A Miocene flora from the Toupi Formation in Jiangxi Province, southeastern China

Here we report a fossil flora from the Miocene Toupi Formation in Jiangxi Province, southeastern China, including megafossil genera Pinus, Podocarpus, Calocedrus, Cinnamomum, Quercus, Lithocarpus, Carya, Palaeocarya, Acer, and Yua. Among them, Yua jiangxiensis n. sp. is the first fossil record of the genus in Asia. A palynological analysis in this study reveals that the palyno-assemblage contains Selaginella, Pteris, Pinus, Picea, Quercus, Fagus, Carya, Ilex, and Rutaceae. Based on Integrated Plant Records (IPR) vegetation analysis, it is suggested that the fossil flora represents an evergreen broad-leaved forest, and the occurrence of tropical and subtropical Cinnamomum supports a warm and moist climate in the region during the middle Miocene.

The Karpatian (late early Miocene) flora of the Mecsek area

A rich macroflora has been collected from Karpatian (late early Miocene) layers of the Mecsek Mts during recent decades. The bulk of the fossil assemblage consists of leaves and also fruits of angiosperms. Among the more than a hundred taxa, several endemic species were described: Leguminocarpum mecsekense Andreánszky, Ailanthus mecsekensis Hably, Nyssa gyoergyi sp. nov., Nyssa gergoei sp. nov., Nyssa sp. 1, Clematis csabae sp. nov., Gordonia sp. and Carpolithes gergoei Hably et Erdei sp. nov. Many taxa were last recorded in the Carpathian Basin, e.g. Cedrelospermum, Ziziphus. Other taxa appeared in this flora, e.g. Quercus kubinyii, Podocarpium podocarpum, Liquidambar europaea and Populus populina, and later became dominant in the middle Miocene (Sarmatian) floras or even in the late Miocene (Pannonian) floras. Four main vegetation types were determined. The most significant types are subxerophytic vegetation showing high diversity, swamp vegetation, riparian vegetation, and a vegetation type growing in habitats with higher rainfall. Thermophilous flora elements are dominant in the assemblage, although “arctotertiary” species also appear. The floristic character of the flora supports the results of an earlier quantitative climate analysis of the Magyaregregy flora, according to which mean annual temperature was 15.6–16.6°C and coldest-month and warmest-month temperatures were 5–6.2°C and 24.7–27.9°C, respectively. Generally the assemblage presented in this paper extends those climatological findings to the late early Miocene.