Kvacekispermum sp.

Friis, Else Marie, Crane, Peter R. & Pedersen, Kaj Raunsgaard, 2019, The Early Cretaceous Mesofossil Flora Of Torres Vedras (Ne Of Forte Da Forca), Portugal: A Palaeofloristic Analysis Of An Early Angiosperm Community, Fossil Imprint 75 (2), pp. 153-257 : 185

Kvacekispermum sp.

Text-fig. 19d, e

D e s c r i p t i o n a n d r e m a r k s. Kvacekispermum sp. is known from a single obovate seed that is pointed at the micropylar end, rounded at the chalazal end, 1.15 mm long and 0.55 mm wide. Remains of the fruit or floral organs are not preserved. The seed is similar to seeds of Kvacekispermum rugosum and K. costatum in having a crystalliferous endotesta ( Text-fig. 19e ) characterized by longitudinal ridges separated by rounded depressions (Textfig. 19d). However, Kvacekispermum sp. has a smaller number of ridges (about 16) than K. rugosum and K. costatum (about 20 and 35 respectively). The ridges are also rounded and occasionally bifurcate unlike in K. costatum and K. rugosum ( Text-fig. 19d ).

A f f i n i t y a n d o t h e r o c c u r r e n c e s. Kvaceckispermum sp. is currently known only from the Torres Vedras mesofossil flora. Like Kvacekispermum rugosum and K. costatum, Kvaceckispermum sp. is an extinct species closely related to the clade comprising extant Ascarina , Chloranthus and Sarcandra , among extant Chloranthaceae ( Friis et al. 2018c) .

Figures

Text-fig. 19. Scanning electron microscope (SEM; d, e) and synchrotron radiation X-ray tomographic microscopy (SRXTM; a–c) images of a seed of Kvacekispermum costatum sp. nov. (a–c) and Kvacekispermum sp. (d, e); Torres Vedras locality, Portugal. a, b) Isolated, abraded seeds showing densely spaced longitudinal ridges; c) Detail of abraded seed in (b) showing surface of endotesta with imprints of crystals; d) Isolated, abraded seed showing longitudinal ridges; e) Abraded seed surface showing surface of endotesta with imprints of crystals. Specimens, TV44-S174098 (holotype; a), TV38-S174099 (b, c), TV43-S174612 (d, e). Scale bars 300 Μm (a, b, d), 50 Μm (c, e).