Haloragaceae R. BR.

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 : 53

Family Haloragaceae R. BR.

Genus cf. Myriophyllum L.

Text-fig. 7a

M a t e r i a l. USNM PAL 722490.

L o c a l i t y. Dakin.

D e s c r i p t i o n. Endocarp elliptical 2.1 mm long, 1.1 mm wide; four to five lateral projections on each side measuring 0.2–0.4 mm long and 0.1–0.3 mm wide at the base.

R e m a r k s. Myriophyllum fruits are rectangular to elliptical and have short, lateral projections. Pleistocene leaf fossils are known from Kashmir ( Puri 1951) and endocarps from Nepal ( Bhandari et al. 2009, 2010, 2011). Another fossil occurrence attributed to Haloragaceae is Tarahumara sophiae HERN. - CASTILLO et CEV.- FERRIZ from the Campanian- Maastrichtian of northern Mexico ( Hernandez-Castillo and Cevallos-Ferriz 1999). The Kishenehn specimen may be the oldest macrofossil of the genus.

Figures

Text-fig. 7. a: USNM PAL 722490 cf. Myriophyllum fruit. Scale bar 1mm. b: USNM PAL 624027 three-valved Populus sp. capsule on pedicel. Scale bar 3mm. c: USNM PAL 717328 Deviacer wolfei samara. Scale bar 5mm. d: USNM PAL 621987 Fabaceae sp. 1 Legume fruit showing persistent style. Scale bar 2mm. e: USNM PAL 625803 Fabaceae sp. 2 fruit. Scale bar 5mm. f: USNM PAL 620816 Agrimonia sp. fruit. Scale bar 3mm. g: Modern Agrimonia pubescens fruit (image by Tracey Slotta, United States Department of Agriculture National Resource Conservation Service Plants Database). h: USNM PAL 621976 Ulmus sp. F1 fruit showing two persistent styles. Scale bar 2mm. i: DMNH EPI.48205 Ulmus sp. L1 leaf. Scale bar 1cm. j: UF 19652-86483 endocarp of Celtis sp. k: UF 19652-86484 Endocarps of Celtis sp.