Fraxinus zlatkoi, Wu, Meng-Xiao, Huang, Jian, Su, Tao, Zhou, Zhe-Kun & Xing, Yao-Wu, 2021

Wu, Meng-Xiao, Huang, Jian, Su, Tao, Zhou, Zhe-Kun & Xing, Yao-Wu, 2021, Fraxinus L. (Oleaceae) Fruits From The Early Oligocene Of Southwest China And Their Biogeographic Implications, Fossil Imprint 77 (2), pp. 287-298 : 289

Fraxinus zlatkoi MENG- XIAO WU et J.HUANG sp. nov.

Text-fig. 3a–e, l, m

H o l o t y p e. XTBGPC-LH3-0341 ( Text-fig. 3a, b ).

P a r a t y p e. XTBGPC-LH3-1138 ( Text-fig. 3d ).

P l a n t F o s s i l N a m e s R e g i s t r y N u m b e r.

PFN002614.

R e p o s i t o r y. Fossils are deposited in Palaeoecology Collections, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, China.

E t y m o l o g y. The specific epithet “ zlatkoi ” refers to the palaeobotanist Prof. Zlatko Kvaček recognizing his significant contributions to long-term research on the floras of the Cenozoic.

T y p e l o c a l i t y. Lühe Town, Chuxiong, Yunnan

Province , China (25°08.5′ N, 101°22.5′ E) .

A g e. 33 ± 1 to 32 ± 1 Ma (Rupelian stage, Oligocene).

D i a g n o s i s. Fruit a samara, flattened, symmetrical, one seed located in the base, veins parallel to the long axis, length to width ratio of fruit 2.5–3.4: 1; seed obovate, symmetric.

D e s c r i p t i o n. Fruits samaras elliptic, symmetric, 16–19 mm long, 5–6 mm wide at the broadest point (Textfig. 3a–e), length to width ratio 2.5–3.4: 1. Pedicel short, 1.0 mm long, 0.1 mm wide. Calyx hypogynous, persistent, campanulate, cupping fruit base ( Text-fig. 3l, m ). Two calyx teeth visible, fused at base, apices acute, 0.4–0.6 mm long and 0.8 mm wide. Fruit body flattened in the plane of the wing. Wing decurrent, flattened, entire margin, attached to the apex of fruit body and clasping its lateral margins nearly to middle, the widest part in the middle of fruit. Two carpel ventral sutures united to form midvein , stigmas or stylar remnant not visible. Wing apex symmetric, rounded with eight veins visible parallel to the long axis of the fruit, extending from the base of the fruit to its apex ( Text-fig. 3d ). One seed located in the base of fruit, obovate, symmetric ( Text-fig. 3a–e ), 6–9 mm long, 3–4 mm wide. Fruit length 2.1–2.5 times longer than the seed. seed base cuneate, apex rounded or obtusely rounded with pointed apex; long axis parallel to the long axis of fruit.

Figures

Text-fig. 3. Fossil fruits of Fraxinus: photos and drawings. a–e: F. zlatkoi MENG-XIOA WU et J.HUANG sp. nov., a–c – the holotype image and its line drawing (XTBG-PC-LH3-0341), d, e – paratype image and its line drawing (XTBGPC-LH3-1138); f–k: Fraxinus cf. honshuensis TANAI et ONOE, f–h – XTBG-PC-LH2-0111, i–k – XTBG-PC-LH1-0578; l, m: enlargement of (b) and its line drawing; n, o: enlargement of (g) and its line drawing. Arrows in (i) and (n) refer to the calyxes. Scale bars = 5 mm for a–k, scale bars = 1 mm for i–o.