Potamogeton sp.

Niccolini, Gabriele, Martinetto, Edoardo, Lanini, Benedetta, Menichetti, Elena, Fusco, Fabio, Hakobyan, Elen & Bertini, Adele, 2022, Late Messinian Flora From The Post-Evaporitic Deposits Of The Piedmont Basin (Northwest Italy), Fossil Imprint 78 (1), pp. 189-216 : 199-200

Potamogeton sp.

hypothetic “whole-plant” Pl. 5, Figs 7, 8

M a t e r i a l. A few fruits occurred at Ciabòt Cagna. Pollen grains of cf. Potamogeton were found in Sioneri and Ciabòt Cagna sections.

R e m a r k s. The pollen grains have clear traits (e.g., size, opening) of Potamogeton , however, it is not possible to correctly examine the exine, therefore they were defined as cf. Potamogeton . The pollen grains of cf. Potamogeton were found in the same sample from the Ciabòt Cagna section subjected to carpological analyses in which some fruits of Potamogeton were found. This could support the possible production of both parts by the same, hypothetic “wholeplant”.

The fossil fruits from Ciabòt Cagna are consistently deformed, but still show several diagnostic characters which could enable a detailed comparative analysis (not carried out here) and permit assignment to a definite species. In fact, the morphology of Potamogeton fruits is known to have a relevant taxonomic value ( Aalto 1970) and several fossilspecies have been described from the European Neogene (e.g., Dorofeev 1986).