Reyanthus E.M.FRIIS, P.R.CRANE et K.R.PEDERSEN, 2019

Friis, Else Marie, Crane, Peter R. & Pedersen, Kaj Raunsgaard, 2019, The Early Cretaceous Mesofossil Flora Of Torres Vedras (Ne Of Forte Da Forca), Portugal: A Palaeofloristic Analysis Of An Early Angiosperm Community, Fossil Imprint 75 (2), pp. 153-257 : 229-231

Genus Reyanthus E.M.FRIIS, P.R.CRANE et K.R.PEDERSEN gen. nov.

T y p e. Designated here. Reyanthus lusitanicus

E.M.FRIIS, P.R.CRANE et K.R.PEDERSEN gen. et sp. nov.

P l a n t F o s s i l N a m e s R e g i s t r y N u m b e r.

PFN000491 (for new genus).

E t y m o l o g y. In honor of the French palaeontologist Jaques Rey in recognition of his contribution to the study of Early Cretaceous deposits in Portugal, including in the Torres Vedras region.

D i a g n o s i s. Flower bisexual, multiparted, borne terminally on a long stalk. Tepals and stamens arranged in two series around the gynoecium. Gynoecium multicarpellate, apocarpous with carpels arranged helically on a conical receptacle. Carpel follicular containing several seeds borne along either side of the ventral suture. Stalk, bracts, tepals, stamens and carpels containing large, spherical oil cells. Carpels crescent-shaped, slightly compressed laterally. Stigma sessile, indistinct.

C o m m e n t s o n t h e g e n u s. Several multicarpellate floral structures are known from Early and mid-Cretaceous strata. Most of these are currently undescribed, but one flower, Cecilanthus polymerus HEREND., J.A.DOYLE, P.K.ENDRESS et MAS.TAKAH., from the early Cenomanian of Maryland has comparable short conical receptacle and floral tissues with abundant oil cells ( Herendeen et al. 2016). Cecilanthus polymerus differs from Reyanthus lusitanicus in the much greater number of floral parts and the arrangement of the tepals in multiple series. Reyanthus is distinguished from multicarpellate floral structures of Choffaticarpus (described above) by the more loosely packed fruiting units, the presence of oil cells and the much shorter receptacle.