Catanthus dolichostemon E.M.FRIIS, P.R.CRANE et K.R.PEDERSEN, 2020

Friis, Else Marie, Crane, Peter R., Pedersen, Kaj Raunsgaard, Mendes, Mário Miguel & Kvaček, Jiří, 2022, The Early Cretaceous Mesofossil Flora Of Catefica, Portugal: Angiosperms, Fossil Imprint 78 (2), pp. 341-424 : 367

Catanthus dolichostemon E.M.FRIIS, P.R.CRANE et K.R.PEDERSEN, 2020

Text-fig. 18a, b

Description and remarks. The species was described based on several flower buds and open flowers preserved as charcoalified or lignitic specimens from the Catefica mesofossil flora (for a full description see Friis et al. 2021; taxon names valid from effectively published online version in 2020, see Friis et al. 2020c). The flowers are whorled with nine tepals in three whorls of three and many stamens in several successive whorls. The stamens have long, broad and fleshy bases that continue into the short anthers without a joint. In lignitised specimens, the stamens are flattened, but their original bulky, three-dimensional shape is particularly well-preserved in charcoalified specimens ( Text-fig. 18a, b ). The pollen is circular in polar view, about 12 µm in diameter, monoaperturate and trichotomocolpate ( Friis et al. 2021: fig. 4A–C). The gynoecium is superior, apocarpous and consists of six, or rarely five, carpels.

Affinity and other occurrences. A phylogenetic assessment of Catanthus dolichostemon suggests a relationship to extant members of Canellales and Magnoliales ( Friis et al. 2021) . The species is currently known only from the Catefica and Vale de Água mesofossil floras.

Pollen grains of Catanthus dolichostemon have also been observed in palynological strew preparations from the Catefica microfossil assemblages.

Figures

Text-fig. 18. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of fragmentary flower of Catanthus dolichostemon (a, b) and flower of Saportanthus parvus (c, d); Catefica locality, Portugal. a, b) Fragment of flower bud showing bulky tepals (te) and fleshy stamens (st) in ventral (a) and lateral (b) views; note the long stamen base and small anther with extrorse anther dehiscence (arrows); c, d) Flower in lateral (c) and oblique apical (d) views showing inferior ovary and eight bulky tepals almost completely enclosing the stamens and styles. Specimens, Catefica MM92-P0159 (a, b), Catefica MM285-P0331 (c, d). Scale bars = 300 Μm (a–d).