Dioscorea sp.

Kvaček, Zlatko & Teodoridis, Vasilis, 2011, The Late Eocene Flora Of Kučlín Near Bílina In North Bohemia Revisited, Acta Musei Nationalis Pragae Series B 67 (3 - 4), pp. 83-144 : 92

? Dioscorea sp.

Pl. 3, figs 1-2

A fragment of cordate leaf with 5 primaries radiating from the incomplete leaf base. Venation of higher order very thin, hardly visible. Individual half-moon shaped fruitlets ca. 6 mm long and 4.5 mm in diameter, well flattened

D i s c u s s i o n: Besides a fragment possibly representing Dioscorea foliage, two Dioscorea -like fruitlets were recovered at Kučlín so far. One of the first documents was recognised by S.R. Manchester (in Kvaček 2002a) as possibly belonging to the Dioscoreaceae . We have not seen the persistent apical tepals that should be expected, however ( Manchester and O’leary 2010). More complete fruits of this plant group were recovered in the Hungarian Early Oligocene site Eger-Kiseged (Andreánzsky 1959, as Dioscoreocarpum). This element is certainly a liana like termophilous plant typical of tropical–subtropical areas.

M a t e r i a l: KIN 448-2, KUC 216.

Arecaceae

Palm remains are very scanty at Kučlín and mostly preserved as isolated leaf segments.