Ceratophyllaceae GRAY

Smith, MacKenzie A., Greenwalt, Dale E. & Manchester, Steven R., 2023, Diverse Fruits And Seeds Of The Mid-Eocene Kishenehn Formation, Northwestern Montana, Usa, And Their Implications For Biogeography, Fossil Imprint 79 (1), pp. 37-88 : 51

Family Ceratophyllaceae GRAY

Genus cf. Ceratophyllum L.

Text-fig. 6a

M a t e r i a l. USNM PAL 625188.

L o c a l i t y. Spring.

D e s c r i p t i o n. Fruit elliptical, 2.9 mm long (body 2.6 mm long), 1.5 mm wide; basal spine 0.3 mm long, 0.2 mm wide; three short visible lateral spines on the antipodal side 0.1 mm long; small indentations on the surface.

R e m a r k s. We interpret this as an eroded specimen retaining only remnants of the original spines. By inference from symmetry, a total of at least six short lateral spines can be inferred. Ceratophyllum muricatum CHAM. subsp. incertum (BERRY) HERENDEEN, LES et DILCHER is known from the early and mid-Eocene of the Green River Formation of Wyoming and the Claiborne Formation of Tennessee ( Herendeen et al. 1990). However, C. muricatum subsp. inertum is larger (2.8–4.0 mm long and 2.0– 2.3 mm wide) and has more lateral spines (8–11) ( Herendeen et al. 1990).

Figures

Text-fig. 6. a: USNM PAL 625188 cf. Ceratophyllum fruit. Scale bar 1mm. b: USNM PAL 722388 cf. Thalictrum sp. Scale bar 2mm. c: USNM PAL 622299 Platanus sp. achene with prominent seed body. Scale bar 2mm. d: USNM PAL 768140 Platanus sp. achene with dispersal hairs. Scale bar 2mm. e: Close-up of USNM PAL 768140 Platanus sp. achene with red arrows pointing to dispersal hairs. Scale bar 2mm. f: USNM PAL 622299 Platanus sp. achene with red arrows pointing to hairs. Scale bar 2mm. g: USNM PAL 623312 winged seed of Carpolithes lunatus. Scale bar 1mm. h: USNM PAL 625269 winged seed of Carpolithes lunatus. Scale bar 1mm. i: USNM PAL 625257 winged seed of Carpolithes lunatus with highly curved wing. Scale bar 1mm. j: USNM PAL 624499 winged seed of Carpolithes lunatus. Scale bar 1mm. k: USNM PAL 622294 winged seed of Carpolithes lunatus with raphe wrapping along wing towards the chalazal end of the seed body. Scale bar 1mm. l: USNM PAL 717434 winged seed of Carpolithes lunatus with raphe wrapping along wing towards the chalazal end of the seed body. Scale bar 1mm. m: USNM PAL 625251 winged seed of Carpolithes lunatus with raphe wrapping along wing towards the chalazal end of the seed body. Scale bar 1mm. n: USNM PAL 625541 elongated winged seed of Carpolithes lunatus with raphe wrapping along wing towards the chalazal end of the seed body. Scale bar 1mm. o: USNM PAL 625286 elongated winged seed of Carpolithes lunatus. Scale bar 1mm. p: USNM PAL 624179 winged seed of Carpolithes lunatus with raphe wrapping along wing towards the chalazal end of the seed body. Scale bar 1mm. q: USNM PAL 620034 cf. Jenkinsella knowltonii. Scale bar 2mm.