Eudicotyledoneae Doyle and Hotton ex Halamski

Halamski, Adam T., 2013, Latest Cretaceous leaf floras from southern Poland and western Ukraine, Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 58 (2), pp. 407-443 : 418-419

Supersubclass Eudicotyledoneae Doyle and Hotton ex Halamski, herein.

Diagnosis.—Angiospermae pollinis granis tricolpatis vel formas a tricolpatis procedentes habentibus, nec tamen trichotomosulcatis (sensu Doyle et Endress 2000); foliis simplicibus vel pinnatis, palmatis, pedatis, aliterve compositis.

Angiosperms with tricolpate pollen or tricolpate−derived pollen forms, trichotomosulcate pollen (sensu Doyle and Endress 2000) being excluded. Leaves either simple or pinnately, palmately, pedately, or otherwise compound.

Remarks.—The term “tricolpates” was introduced by Donoghue and Doyle (1989: 29) and its more widely used synonym “eudicots” by Doyle and Hotton (1991: 184). The concept of a monophyletic group defined by tricolpate or tricolpate−derived pollen has gained general acceptance ( Magallón et al. 1999; Judd and Olmstead 2004 and references therein; Judd et al. 2008; Endress 2010; Soltis et al. 2010, 2011; Friis et al. 2011; see also Kubitzki 2007: 13, for a discussion of palynologic characters in a phylogenetic context). It has been formalised under the provisions of the PhyloCode ( Cantino et al. 2007) but never according to the ICBN rules. As a result this taxon is absent from recently published classification systems ( Thorne and Reveal 2007; Takhtajan 2009), a major discrepancy with molecular−based results ( Halamski 2010). This situation is amended herein through formalisation of the supersubclass Eudicotyledoneae.

The diagnosis consists of two parts. The first one refers to palynologic characters and is taken without change from Doyle and Hotton (1991). The second one refers to foliar characters (for a discussion of leaf characters in a phylogenetic context see Hickey and Wolfe 1975; Doyle 2007). The analysis of angiosperm leaf architecture shows that the leaves of non−eudicot dicotyledons (ANITA group, Chloranthales , Ceratophyllaceae , and magnoliids; i.e., subclasses Chloranthidae Wu, 2002 and Magnoliidae Novák ex Takhtajan, 1967 sensu Thorne and Reveal 2007) are nearly always simple ( Illigera of Hernandiaceae is the only exception, with trifoliolate, seldom pentafoliolate leaves; Kubitzki 1993; Li et al. 2008). Compound leaves are also relatively rare in monocots ( Gunawardena and Dengler 2006). Pinnate, palmate, pedate, and other compound leaves are common in several groups of the Eudicotyledoneae. This character is therefore of some diagnostic value especially when dealing with fossil material. Earliest angiosperm compound leaves are known from the middle Albian ( Hickey 1974).

A supersubclass is considered a rank intermediate between a class and a subclass (Art. 4.3 of the ICBN).