Protomimosoidea buchananensis Crepet and Taylor, 1986

Na, Yuling, Blanchard, Jane & Wang, Hongshan, 2019, Fruits, seeds and flowers from the Puryear clay pit (middle Eocene Cockfield Formation), western Tennessee, USA, Palaeontologia Electronica (a 49) 23 (3), pp. 1-57 : 6-8

Protomimosoidea buchananensis Crepet and Taylor, 1986

1986 Protomimosoidea buchananensis Crepet and Taylor , p. 555, figs. 1–22.

2013 Protomimosoidea buchananensis Crepet and Taylor ; Wang, Blanchard, and Dilcher, p. 15, fig. 12.

Figure 6

Description. Laterally preserved flower 3 mm long and 2 mm wide (excluding filaments and pedicel). Seven incomplete filaments 4 mm long and 0.2 mm wide; anthers missing. Pedicel 4 mm long and 0.2 mm wide.

Number of specimens examined. 1. UF15820- 061118.

Remarks. This specimen is not as well-preserved as those described from the Warman locality, Tennessee (Wang et al., 2013, p. 15, figure 12), and the Bovay locality, Mississippi (Blanchard et al., 2016, pp. 9–11, figures 5–7). Based on the size and gross shape of the flower, and the presence of multiple filaments, we assign the Puryear specimen to the same species.

Claiborne Fabaceae Floral Type 1

Figure 7

Description. Laterally compressed flower ca. 1.2 cm long and 1 cm wide. Three perianth parts visible: two small perianth parts ca. 5 mm long and 2 mm wide with acute apices; a single, larger perianth part ca. 7 mm long and 4 mm wide with a rounded apex. Pedicel ca. 4 mm long and 1 mm wide.

Number of specimens examined. 1. UF15820- 061142.

Remarks. In addition to this flower from the Puryear locality, Blanchard et al. (2016, p. 15, figure

11) described another specimen from the Bovay clay pit, Mississippi. The morphology of this floral type is similar to Barnebyanthus buchananensis Crepet and Herendeen , papilionoid flowers reported from the Buchanan clay pit, Henry County, Tennessee (Crepet and Dilcher, 1992, p. 47, figures 1–4). The Bovay and Puryear specimens are not as well-developed as the Buchanan flower, but it is possible that they represent the same taxon as B. buchananensis Crepet and Herendeen .

Claiborne Fabaceae Floral Type 2

Figure 8

Description. Laterally compressed flower 7 mm long and 4 mm wide at the widest point. Stamens numerous, filaments ca. 1 mm long, anthers 0.5 mm in diameter. Pedicel 2 mm long and 0.8 mm wide.

Number of specimens examined. 1. UF15820- 043606.

Remarks. The presence of numerous stamens with short filaments is consistent with the Bovay and Bolden specimens described by Blanchard et al. (2016, pp.14–15, figure 12). Therefore, we assign them to the same floral type.

Claiborne Fabaceae Floral Type 3

Figure 9

Description. Laterally preserved flower 7 mm long (excluding pedicel). Pedicel 5 mm long and 0.2 mm wide. Two perianth parts (petals?) observed, 1.5 mm long and 0.5 mm wide. Expanding ovary present, 1 mm long and 0.6 mm wide, with an apical style about 1 mm long. One anther present, 0.7 mm long and 0.5 mm wide.

Number of specimens examined. 1. UF15820- 043630.

Remarks. This specimen shows two perianth parts which probably are petals, an expanding ovary and a long pedicel. Compared with the specimen assigned to Claiborne Fabaceae Floral Type 1 from the Bovay locality (Blanchard et al., 2016, p. 14, figure 11), this flower is much smaller, and it has a longer pedicel. The specimen from the Bovay locality probably belongs to the same species, Barnebyanthus buchananensis Crepet and Herendeen (1992) , reported from the Buchanan locality (UF15806), Tennessee (Crepet and Herendeen, 1992). The long pedicel (5 mm) and small size (7 mm) of the Puryear specimen may warrant a new type of Fabaceae flower if future collection of more specimens demonstrates other character differences.

Figures

FIGURE 6. Protomimosoidea buchananensis Crepet and Taylor, 1986: UF15820-061118, flower showing multiple filaments with anthers missing. Scale bar equals 1 mm.

FIGURE 7. Claiborne Fabaceae Floral Type 1: UF15820-061142, a laterally compressed flower with three perianth parts and pedicel. Scale bar equals 2 mm.

FIGURE 8. Claiborne Fabaceae Floral Type 2: UF15820-043606, flower with numerous stamens (indicated by arrow). Scale bar equals 1 mm.

FIGURE 9. Claiborne Fabaceae Floral Type 3: UF15820-043630, flower showing at least two valvate petals (pt), anther (a), style (st), and ovary (o). Scale bar equals 1 mm.