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

Friis, Else Marie, Crane, Peter R. & Pedersen, Kaj Raunsgaard, 2020, Multiparted, Apocarpous Flowers From The Early Cretaceous Of Eastern North America And Portugal, Fossil Imprint 76 (2), pp. 279-296 : 281

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

T y p e. Designated here. Mugideiriflora portugallica

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.

PFN000906 (for new genus).

E t y m o l o g y. From the village of Mugideira close to where the fossil was collected.

D i a g n o s i s. Flower structurally bisexual, with multiparted perianth, androecium and gynoecium. Floral receptacle flat to slightly concave but conical in the pistillate region. Phyllotaxis of floral organs apparently spiral. Perianth of about 50 tepals in several series. Tepals broad with transversely elongate and rhomboidal bases. Androecium of more than 50 stamens in several series. Stamens with short bases, poorly differentiated from the anther, rhomboidal in transverse section. Anthers dithecate and tetrasporangiate with an expanded and slightly pointed connective apex. Pollen sacs in a lateral position. Gynoecium superior, apocarpous, of more than 50 free carpels borne in several series on the conical gynoecial portion of the receptacle.

C o m m e n t s o n t h e g e n u s. The flower of Mugideiriflora portugallica is open and apparently preserved at a young anthetic stage with a large number of immature stamens and carpels, which distinguishes it from most other multiparted flowers described from the Cretaceous (see Discussion for further comparison and references). The fossil cannot be assigned to any extant family or to any fossil taxon described so far (see Discussion).

Mugideiriflora is distinguished from Lambertiflora , described here from the Puddledock locality, by its much broader perianth parts and the greater number of parts in perianth, androecium and gynoecium. It is also distinguished from Atlantocarpus virginiensis E.M.FRIIS, P.R.CRANE et K.R.PEDERSEN from the Puddledock locality and Atlantocarpus sp. from the Buarcos locality by the short, conical gynoecial portion of the receptacle. Atlantocarpus , as well as two other multicarpellate floral structures, Reyanthus lusitanicus E.M.FRIIS, P.R.CRANE et K.R.PEDERSEN and Choffaticarpus compactus E.M.FRIIS, P.R.CRANE et K.R.PEDERSEN first described from the Torres Vedras locality have receptacles that are strongly elongated ( Friis et al. 2019a). Mugideiriflora is also distinct from another new multiparted flower from the Catefica locality ( Friis et al. 2021) in its greater number of parts, the spiral phyllotaxis of all organs, and the conical floral receptacle in the gynoecial zone.