Nanjinganthus, Fu & Diez & Pole & Ávila & Liu & Chu & Hou & Yin & Zhang & Du & Wang, 2018

Fu, Qiang, Diez, Jose Bienvenido, Pole, Mike, Ávila, Manuel García, Liu, Zhong-Jian, Chu, Hang, Hou, Yemao, Yin, Pengfei, Zhang, Guo-Qiang, Du, Kaihe & Wang, Xin, 2018, An unexpected noncarpellate epigynous flower from the Jurassic of China, eLife (e 38827) 7, pp. 1-24 : 2-3

Nanjinganthus gen. nov.

Generic diagnosis

Flowers subtended by bracts. Bracts fused basally. Flowers pedicellate, actinomorphic, epigynous, with inferior ovary. Sepals 4–5, rounded in shape, each with usually 4–6 longitudinal ribs in the center and two lateral rib-free laminar areas, attached to the receptacle rim with their whole bases, surrounding the petals when immature, with epidermal cells with straight cell walls. Petals 4–5, cuneate, concave, each with usually 5–6 longitudinal ribs in the center and two lateral rib-free laminar areas, with rounded tips, surrounding the gynoecium when immature, with epidermal cells with straight cell walls. Gynoecium in the center, unilocular, fully closed by a cup-form receptacle from the bottom as well as sides and by an integral ovarian roof from the above. Style centrally attached on the top of the ovarian roof, dendroid-formed. One to three seeds inside the ovary, elongated oval, hanged on the ovarian wall by a thin funiculus, with the micropyle-like depression almost opposite the chalaza.

Type species

Nanjinganthus dendrostyla gen. et sp. nov.

Etymology

Nanjing- for Nanjing, the city where the specimens were discovered, and - anthos for ‘flower’ in Latin.

Type locality

Wugui Hill , Sheshan Town, Qixia District, Nanjing , China (N32˚ 0800 190, E118˚ 5800 200) ( Figure 1 —figure supplement 1).

Horizon

The South Xiangshan Formation, the Lower Jurassic.

Species

Figures

Figure 1. Siltstone slabs bearing Nanjinganthus. All bars are 1 cm long. (A) Six flowers (1-6) on the same slab, and an associated triangular leaflet with parallel venation. PB22227. (B) Several flowers on the same slab. 1–3 are shown in detail in Figures 2f and 6d,e. PB22226. (C) Several flowers (1-8) on the same slab and the associated Nilssonia parabrevis (top). PB22220. (D) Several flowers (1-6) on the same slab. 1–3 are shown in detail in Figures 2h and 3a–c. PB22224. (E) Many flowers on the same slab. Some of the numbered ones are shown in detail in later figures. PB22222a. (F) A slab with numerous flowers. PB22221. (G) A slab almost fully covered with flowers. PB22228. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.38827.003