Pityostrobus stockeyae

Name

Pityostrobus stockeyae

Rank

Species

Generic Name

[Genus] Pityostrobus

Authors (Pub.)

Herrera F. Leslie A. B. Shi G. Knopf P. Ichinnorov N. Takahashi M. Crane P. R. Herendeen P. S.  

Publication

New fossil Pinaceae from the Early Cretaceous of Mongolia [2016/9]

Journal

Botany

Volume

94

Issue

9

Page number

901

Year

2016

Fossil Status

strobili (female)

Stratigraphy

Aptian

Strat. comment

Albian; Tevshiin Govi Formation

Location

Tevshiin Govi coal mine, central Mongolia

Latitude/Longitude

45:58′54″N

106:07′12″E

Paleoregion

Eurasia (Central Asia)

Data for Holotypus

Repository

Field Museum, Chicago, USA

Repository Number

PP56028

Num

7 A+B

Pub.

New fossil Pinaceae from the Early Cretaceous of Mongolia [2016/9]

Diagnosis

Seed cones elliptical, ovate, obovate to oblong, 1.5–5.1 cm long and 1–1.7 cm wide, terminal and more or less sessile on long slender shoots with elongate leaf bases and helically arranged leaf scars. Seed cones with 10–17 helically arranged, persistent, imbricated bract–scale complexes borne proximally at an angle of 50°–65° and distally at an angle of 78°–85° to the cone axis. The cone base is typically cuneate or convex. Cone apex acute. Bracts articulated and exserted; the persistent basal part thin, papery, and triangular. Distal portion of bract thicker, acicular (needle like), always deciduous in proximal bract–scale complexes; sometimes persistent in central and distal bract–scale complexes. Abscission of the distal portion of the bract leaves a conspicuous scar. Acicular portion of bract bulbous, ending in a minute spine. Bracts with a basal lobe, separating from ovuliferous scale at lateral margins; composed of parenchymatous tissue. Ovuliferous scales 0.5– 1.7 cm long and 0.3–1.1 cm wide, obovate with an entire margin and two small lateral flaps proximally. Apices of ovuliferous scales convex to rounded with tips that vary in shape within and among individual cones. Tips of the ovuliferous scales may be pointed, with a small central mucro, or bifid. Ovuliferous scale bearing two winged seeds on the adaxial surface. Seeds 0.3–1.3 cm long; seed bodies0.8–2.6mmlong, ellipsoidal with a conspicuous sclerotesta, lacking resin bodies. Seeds separated by an interseminal ridge for their complete length. Interseminal ridge extends above the height of the seed bodies. Seed bodies fully covered by wing tissue on the exposed side and only partially covered on the enclosed side of the seeds.