Leaf fossils of Banksia (Proteaceae) from New Zealand: An Australian abroad
- PMID: 21622389
- DOI: 10.3732/ajb.0900199
Leaf fossils of Banksia (Proteaceae) from New Zealand: An Australian abroad
Abstract
Fossils can shed new light on plant biogeography and phylogeny. Pinnately lobed leaves from the Oligo-Miocene Newvale lignite mine, South Island, New Zealand are the first extra-Australian leaf fossils of the charismatic genus Banksia (Proteaceae), and they are assigned to a new species, B. novae-zelandiae. Comparison with extant taxa shows that the fossils are best regarded as an extinct stem relative of Banksia because their available features are either plesiomorphic for the genus (notably, the stomata are superficially placed, not sunken in balloon-like pits as in many extant species) or lack evidence of synapomorphies that would enable them to be placed in the crown group. Banksia novae-zelandiae does, however, exhibit two cuticular features that are unique or highly derived for Banksia. These are rugulate subsidiary cell ornamentation and the presence of complex papillae that extensively cover the abaxial leaf surface. The fossils add to the widespread records of the pinnately lobed leaf form in Banksia in Australia beginning in the late Paleocene. This form is now limited to species confined to sclerophyllous heathlands of Mediterranean climate in southwestern Australia. Banksia novae-zelandiae could be part of a lineage that had a long history in New Zealand, perhaps dating to the early Paleogene.
Similar articles
-
Early evidence of xeromorphy in angiosperms: stomatal encryption in a new eocene species of Banksia (Proteaceae) from Western Australia.Am J Bot. 2014 Sep;101(9):1486-97. doi: 10.3732/ajb.1400191. Am J Bot. 2014. PMID: 25253709
-
Leaf fossils of the ancient Tasmanian relict Microcachrys (Podocarpaceae) from New Zealand.Am J Bot. 2011 Jul;98(7):1164-72. doi: 10.3732/ajb.1000506. Epub 2011 Jun 23. Am J Bot. 2011. PMID: 21700805
-
Cenozoic extinction and recolonization in the New Zealand flora: the case of the fleshy-fruited epacrids (Styphelieae, Styphelioideae, Ericaceae).Mol Phylogenet Evol. 2013 Jan;66(1):203-14. doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2012.09.027. Epub 2012 Oct 5. Mol Phylogenet Evol. 2013. PMID: 23044402
-
Leaf surface development and the plant fossil record: stomatal patterning in Bennettitales.Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc. 2019 Jun;94(3):1179-1194. doi: 10.1111/brv.12497. Epub 2019 Feb 4. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc. 2019. PMID: 30714286 Review.
-
The Paleogene fossil record of birds in Europe.Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc. 2005 Nov;80(4):515-42. doi: 10.1017/S1464793105006779. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc. 2005. PMID: 16221327 Review.
Cited by
-
Fire-adapted Gondwanan Angiosperm floras evolved in the Cretaceous.BMC Evol Biol. 2012 Nov 22;12:223. doi: 10.1186/1471-2148-12-223. BMC Evol Biol. 2012. PMID: 23171161 Free PMC article.
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources