Bridgesia bovayensis, Manchester & O'Leary, 2010

Blanchard, J, Wang, H & Dilcher, D, 2016, Fruits, seeds and flowers from the Bovay and Bolden clay pits (early Eocene Tallahatta Formation, Claiborne Group), northern Mississippi, USA, Palaeontologia Electronica 19 (3), pp. 1-59 : 23-24

Bridgesia bovayensis Manchester and O’Leary, 2010

( Figure 19 )

Description. “Fruit widely elliptical, 15–16 mm high, 30 mm wide (nearly twice as wide as high), schizocarpic, falling into at least two singly winged mericarps. Locular area, comprising 1/2 to 2/3 the width of the fruit, inflated; the remaining distal portion forms the wings. Each locule contains a single globose seed attached centrally to the median axis of the fruit. The pedicel is stout, articulated with the base of the fruit with a widened scar of perianth and/or disk; a very short stipe is evident between the perianth scar and the remainder of the fruit. Venation consists of main veins spreading into the wings, with frequent dichotomies and anastomoses, craspedodromous to a fimbrial vein.” (Manchester and O’Leary, 2010, p. 74-76)

Number of specimens examined. 2. UF15737- 030660, 030661.

dimensions are in millimeters. “?” indicates that a measurement is not available or a character is not observed.

Remarks. These are the two specimens that were described by Manchester and OʼLeary (2010, p. 74-76, figure 24k-m). They suggested that morphological characters of these fossil fruits, including wing venation and seed shape, are best matched by the extant genus Bridgesia . This assignment of the fossils to this genus has significant biogeographic implications, because extant Bridgesia is known only from Chile, South America.

Figures

FIGURE 19. Bridgesia bovayensis Manchester and O’Leary, 2010: 1) UF15737-30660. Fruit showing pedicel, hypogynous perianth scar (ps), stylar protrusion (sp), and two mericarps each with a large darkened locular area. Scale bar equals 3 mm; 2) UF15737-30661. Mericarp showing reticulate veins on the wing and locular area. Scale bar equals 3 mm.