Betula sp.

Smith, MacKenzie A., Greenwalt, Dale E. & Manchester, Steven R., 2023, Diverse Fruits And Seeds Of The Mid-Eocene Kishenehn Formation, Northwestern Montana, Usa, And Their Implications For Biogeography, Fossil Imprint 79 (1), pp. 37-88 : 58

publication ID

https://doi.org/10.37520/fi.2023.004

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/4D2487A3-EF4A-8276-FEFE-FEA86DD8FC30

treatment provided by

Felipe (2024-01-10 22:00:26, last updated 2024-01-10 22:17:14)

scientific name

Betula sp.
status

 

Betula sp.

Text-fig. 8g View Text-fig

M a t e r i a l. USNM PAL 624925.

L o c a l i t y. Dakin.

D e s c r i p t i o n. Samara obovate 4.0 mm long, 2.2 mm wide; seed body in center of wing, fusiform 3.0 mm long, 0.8 mm wide; style splits near margin of wing 1.3 mm long, curled; wing 0.6 mm wide and tapers at base.

R e m a r k s. The thin wing that is differentiated from the seed body and long styles of the seed distinguish this specimen as Betula and can be contrasted with the nondifferentiated wing and short styles in Alnus . Betula fossils are known from the early Eocene McAbee, One Mile Creek, Quilchena and Falkland floras of British Columbia ( Crane and Stockey 1987, Lowe et al. 2018, Mathewes et al. 2016, Smith et al. 2012), Republic flora of Washington ( Wolfe and Wehr 1987, Pigg et al. 2011) and late Eocene Bull Run flora of Nevada ( Wing 1987). Alnus appears to be more common in Paleogene deposits compared to Betula , which may be due to temperature or its proximity to the water (pers. obs.).

Crane, P. R., Stockey, R. A. (1987): Betula leaves and reproductive structures from the middle Eocene of British Columbia, Canada. - Canadian Journal of Botany, 65 (12): 2490 - 2500. https: // doi. org / 10.1139 / b 87 - 338

Lowe, A. J., Greenwood, D. R., West, C. K., Galloway, J. M., Sudermann, M., Reichgelt, T. (2018): Plant community ecology and climate on an upland volcanic landscape during the early Eocene Climatic Optimum: McAbee Fossil Beds, British Columbia, Canada. - Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 511: 443 - 338. https: // doi. org / 10.1016 / j. palaeo. 2018.09.010

Mathewes, R. W., Greenwood, D. R., Archibald, S. B. (2016): Paleoenvironment of the Quilchena flora, British Columbia, during the early Eocene Climatic Optimum. - Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 53: 1 - 17. https: // doi. org / 10.1139 / cjes- 2015 - 0163

Pigg, K. B., DeVore, M. L., Volkman, K. E. (2011): Fossil Plants from Republic: A Guidebook. - Stonerose Interpretive Center, Republic, Washington, 86 pp.

Smith, R. Y., Basinger, J. F., Greenwood, D. R. (2012): Early Eocene plant diversity and dynamics in the Falkland flora, British Columbia, Canada. - Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments, 92: 309 - 328. https: // doi. org / 10.1007 / s 12549 - 011 - 0061 - 5

Wing, S. L. (1987): Eocene and Oligocene floras of the Rocky Mountains. - Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden, 74 (4): 748 - 784. https: // doi. org / 10.2307 / 2399449

Wolfe, J. A., Wehr, W. (1987): Middle Eocene dicotyledonous plants from Republic, northeastern Washington. - U. S. Geological Survey Bulletin, 1597: 1 - 58. https: // doi. org / 10.3133 / b 1597

Gallery Image

Text-fig. 8. Betulaceae and Juglandaceae from the Kishenehn Formation. a: DMNH L6933 Alnus sp. L1 leaves. Scale bar 2cm. b: DMNH EPI.48179 Alnus sp. leaf. Scale bar 2cm. c: DMNH EPI.48136b Alnus sp. leaf. Scale bar 2cm. d: USNM PAL 622756 Alnus sp. I1 infructescence attached to branch. Scale bar 1cm. e: USNM PAL 623160 Betuloideae showing wing, seed body and two persistent styles. Scale bar 1mm. f: USNM PAL 622732 Alnus sp. F1 samara showing two persistent styles. Scale bar 1mm. g: USNM PAL 624925 Betula sp. samara showing wing, seed body and two persistent styles. Scale bar 1mm. h: USNM PAL 623147 Alnus sp. F2 samara showing. Scale bar 1mm. i: USNM PAL 622690 Palaeocarya sp. samara showing three wings with reticulate venation and hairs at base. Scale bar 1cm.

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Tracheophyta

Class

Magnoliopsida

Order

Fagales

Family

Betulaceae

Genus

Betula