Nuphar wutuensis

Name

Nuphar wutuensis

Rank

Species

Generic Name

[Genus] Nuphar

Authors (Pub.)

Chen L. Manchester S. R. Chen Z.-D.  

Publication

Anatomically preserved seeds of Nuphar (Nymphaeaceae) from the Early Eocene of Wutu, Shandong Province, China [2004/8]

Journal

American Journal of Botany

Volume

91

Issue

8

Page number

1266

Year

2004

Fossil Status

seeds

Stratigraphy

Miocene

Location

Wutu village, Shandong Province, China

Paleoregion

Eurasia (China)

Data for Holotypus

Repository

Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

Repository Number

PEPB54164

Num

1 C, 3 A-C, E-F

Pub.

Anatomically preserved seeds of Nuphar (Nymphaeaceae) from the Early Eocene of Wutu, Shandong Province, China [2004/8]

Diagnosis

Seeds ellipsoidal to ovoid, 4–5 mm in length, 3–4 mm in width. Raphe ridge clearly visible externally. Smooth and globose, rounded at basal end, apex truncate with a circular cap 0.8–1 mm in diameter bearing a central micropylar protrusion. The raphe forms a prominent ridge on one side, the cap is in a plane oriented about 208–458 from the long axis of the seed, dipping toward the raphe. The surface is covered by an outermost opaque layer without cellular detail, approximately 20–30 mm thick, underlain by a uniseriate layer of equiaxial pentagonal to hexagonal surface cells, and an inner layer 4–6 cells thick composed of thick-walled, periclinally elongate sclereids. The surface cells are pentagonal to polygonal and equiaxial without undulating or digitating. The lumens of the surface cells appear triangular when the seed is thin-cross-sectioned, approximately 20–30 mm high and 20–30 mm wide. The cell lumens of the inner sclereids are about the same height as those of the surface cells, and their width can be up to five times greater than their height.