| Ginkgo henanensis Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Gymnosperms |
| Division: | Ginkgophyta |
| Class: | Ginkgoopsida |
| Order: | Ginkgoales |
| Family: | Ginkgoaceae |
| Genus: | Ginkgo |
| Species: | †G. henanensis |
| Binomial name | |
| †Ginkgo henanensis Li et al., 2023 | |
Ginkgo henanensis is an extinct species of seed plant in the family Ginkgoaceae. Fossil specimens of this species are known from Paleocene deposits in Henan, China. [1]
Ginkgo henanensis is known from 30 fossilized leaves, all excavated from the Dazhang Formation of Luanchuan, Henan Province, China, though only 4 of these leaves are well-preserved. These specimens have been deposited in the Paleobotanical Lab of Chang'a University in China. [1]
The generic name "Ginkgo" comes from its Japanese name, Gin an and Itsjò, which means "silver apricot". [2] The specific name refers to Henan Province, where all currently known specimens originate from. [1]
The known sample of fossil leaves indicates that Ginkgo henanensis was heterophyllous, with both bilobed and multi-lobed forms known. It is one of two Cenozoic Ginkgo known to only have lobed leaves, whilst other Cenozoic species have entire-margined leaves, making G. henanensis more similar to Mesozoic Ginkgo species in this respect. In the adaxial lamina, there is one central papilla in each cell. Trichomes are absent in this species. [1]
The leaves of this species fall within two leaf mass per area (LMA) range groups of 120.9 g/m2 to 131.3 g/m2, and 184.5 g/m2 to 187.4 g/m2 respectively. As both groups have higher LMA than the extant Ginkgo biloba , it is believed that Ginkgo henanensis had a slower ecological return strategy and lower nutrient recycling rate, possibly allowing Paleocene Ginkgo to take up a broader range of ecological niches than its extant counterpart. [1]
Ginkgo biloba, commonly known as ginkgo or gingko, also known as the maidenhair tree, is a species of gymnosperm tree native to East Asia. It is the last living species in the order Ginkgoales, which first appeared over 290 million years ago. Fossils very similar to the living species, belonging to the genus Ginkgo, extend back to the Middle Jurassic epoch approximately 170 million years ago. The tree was cultivated early in human history and remains commonly planted.
Ginkgoales are a gymnosperm order containing only one extant species: Ginkgo biloba, the ginkgo tree. It is monotypic, within the class Ginkgoopsida, which itself is monotypic within the division Ginkgophytaghing-KOF-it-ə. The order includes five families, of which only Ginkgoaceae remains extant.
Ginkgo is a genus of non-flowering seed plants. The scientific name is also used as the English name. The order to which it belongs, Ginkgoales, first appeared in the Permian, 270 million years ago, and Ginkgo is now the only living genus within the order. The rate of evolution within the genus has been slow, and almost all its species had become extinct by the end of the Pliocene. The sole surviving species, Ginkgo biloba is only found in the wild in China, but is cultivated around the world. The relationships between ginkgos and other groups of plants are not fully resolved.
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Ginkgo yimaensis is an extinct ginkgo species in the family Ginkgoaceae. It is a gymnosperm, first described by Zhou and Zhang.
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Paleontology in Mississippi refers to paleontological research occurring within or conducted by people from the U.S. state of Mississippi. The oldest rocks in Mississippi date back to the Late Devonian. At the time, the northeastern part of the state was covered in a sea where brachiopods, crinoids, and trilobites lived. Remains of contemporary local plants also ended up preserved in this environment. During the Late Carboniferous, Mississippi became part of a richly-vegetated coastal plain environment. There are no rocks dating to the Permian, Triassic, or Jurassic in the state. However, during the Cretaceous, evidence suggests that the state was covered by a sea home to cephalopods, mosasaurs and sharks. Local trees left behind petrified wood and amber. By the Cenozoic, only the southern half of the state was covered in seawater, where the early whale Basilosaurus lived. On land, trees that were home to some of the earliest known primates left behind petrified wood. For the remainder of the Cenozoic, the state's climate cooled. Many fossils have been serendipitously discovered in the state by people looking for fossil fuels. Significant fossil finds in Mississippi include some of the oldest known primate fossils. The Eocene whales Basilosaurus cetoides and Zygorhiza kochii are the Mississippi state fossils.
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Ulmus okanaganensis is an extinct species of flowering plant in the family Ulmaceae related to the modern elms. The species is known from fossil leaves, flowers, and fruits found in the early Eocene deposits of northern Washington state, United States and similar aged formations in British Columbia, Canada.
Paraconcavistylon is an extinct genus of flowering plant in the family Trochodendraceae comprises a single species, Paraconcavistylon wehrii. The genus is known from fossil fruits and leaves found in the early Eocene deposits of northern Washington state, United States, and southern British Columbia, Canada. The species was initially described as a member of the related extinct genus Concavistylon as "Concavistylon" wehrii, but subsequently moved to the new genus Paraconcavistylon in 2020 after additional study.
Comptonia columbiana is an extinct species of sweet fern in the flowering plant family Myricaceae. The species is known from fossil leaves found in the early Eocene deposits of central to southern British Columbia, Canada, plus northern Washington state, United States, and, tentatively, the late Eocene of Southern Idaho and Earliest Oligocene of Oregon, United States.
This paleobotany list records new fossil plant taxa that were to be described during the year 2023, as well as notes other significant paleobotany discoveries and events which occurred during 2023.
The Dazhang Formation is a geologic formation in China. It preserves fossils dating back to the late Paleocene, including those of plants and mammals. The formation is primarily composed of interbedded marl, oil shale, claystone and glutenite. Depending on the section, the color of the mudstone may vary from green, red-brown or gray-black.