Nuphar carlquistii Temporal range: | |
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Nuphar carlquistii seeds | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Order: | Nymphaeales |
Family: | Nymphaeaceae |
Genus: | Nuphar |
Section: | Nuphar sect. Astylus |
Species: | N. carlquistii |
Binomial name | |
Nuphar carlquistii DeVore, Taylor, & Pigg | |
Nuphar carlquistii is an extinct species of flowering plant in the family Nymphaeaceae related to the modern spatterdock, Nuphar advena . The species is known from fossil seeds and fruits found in the early Eocene Okanagan Highlands deposits of northern Washington state and British Columbia, Canada.
Nuphar carlquistii fossils have been identified from two locations in Western North America, the 49 million year old Klondike Mountain Formation near Republic, Washington and at the Thomas Ranch locality near Princeton, British Columbia. [1] Permineralized seeds identified as the extinct Nymphaeaceae genus Allenbya has been identified from the related Okanagan Highlands Princeton chert site in south central British Columbia. [2]
Ages for the Okanagan Highland locations are, in general, Early Eocene, with the sites that have current uranium-lead or argon–argon radiometric dates being of Ypresian age, while the undated sites or those given older dates being possibly slightly younger and Lutetian in age. [3]
The specimens were studied by paleobotanists Melanie DeVore, Witt Taylor, and Kathleen Pigg with the type description for N. carlquistii being published in a 2015 International Journal of Plant Sciences article. They chose the specific epithet carlquistii, in honor of Sherwin Carlquist in recognition of the work he had done with Nymphaeaceae anatomy and with plant biology. [1] In the type description, the species name was applied to fruits and seeds specifically, while fossils of associated but not attached tepals, stigmatic disks and rhizome sections were discussed as Nuphar cf carlquistii. One of the rhizome segments, UWBM 57225A showing root attachment points, had previously been published with an informal identification as banana fruit of the genus Ensete . [1] The specimen was figured in a 1996 article with a caption of "Ensete sp. fruits with seeds, UWBM 57225A, loc. A0307" though no discussion of the fossil was made in the article text. [4] The fossils display a combination of features, such as a barrel shaped fruit that has vertical furrows, with the stigmatic disk being occasionally to fully crenulated, that are seen in Nuphar Section Astylus, and are noted to be quite similar to the living Nuphar advena. [1]
The fruits are between 2.5 cm (0.98 in) and 3 cm (1.2 in) across, expanding up from a 2 cm (0.79 in) base. The fruits have a grouping of five persistent tepals that surround the fruit and which have groupings of sclereids that vary in size. One specimen has at least sixteen stamens that were preserved compressed against the tepals, while another shows approximately ten seeds in growth position in the fruit. [1]
Seeds are also found preserved individually and as groupings or masses of seeds ranging between 3.8 cm × 2 cm (1.50 in × 0.79 in) and 6.4 cm × 4.8 cm (2.5 in × 1.9 in). One of the specimens has several hundred seeds grouped closely together and enclosed in a thick matrix, thought to be the preserved jelly like matrix that the seeds first dispersed from the fruit in. Other masses show lesser amounts of matrix, and the ones showing little to no matrix are less grouped together. [1] The individual seeds range between 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) long with an oval to barrel shape and an operculum at one end. Each seed has a distinct raphe ridge running vertically down it from the base to the slightly asymmetrical operculum. While most of the seed coat structure is not preserved enough to identify, the outer cell layer is distinct, showing small pentagon shaped cells with straight walls, a feature seen in fossil and living Nuphar.
Nuphar is a genus of aquatic plants in the family Nymphaeaceae, with a temperate to subarctic Northern Hemisphere distribution. Common names include water-lily, pond-lily, alligator-bonnet or bonnet lily, and spatterdock.
Trochodendron drachukii is an extinct species of flowering plants in the family Trochodendraceae known from a fossil fruiting structure found in the early Ypresian age Eocene fossils found in British Columbia, Canada. T. drachukii is one of the oldest members of the genus Trochodendron, which includes the living species T. aralioides, native to Japan, southern Korea and Taiwan and the coeval extinct species T. nastae from Washington state, United States.
Neviusia dunthornei is an extinct species of flowering plants in the family Rosaceae. The species is solely known from the early Eocene, Ypresian stage, Allenby Formation Lacustrine deposits near the town of Princeton, British Columbia.
The Princeton Chert is a fossil locality in British Columbia, Canada, which comprises an anatomically preserved flora of Eocene Epoch age, with rich species abundance and diversity. It is located in exposures of the Allenby Formation on the east bank of the Similkameen River, 8.5 km (5.3 mi) south of the town of Princeton, British Columbia.
The McAbee Fossil Beds is a Heritage Site that protects an Eocene Epoch fossil locality east of Cache Creek, British Columbia, Canada, just north of and visible from Provincial Highway 97 / the Trans-Canada Highway. The McAbee Fossil Beds, comprising 548.23 hectares, were officially designated a Provincial Heritage Site under British Columbia's Heritage Conservation Act on July 19, 2012. The site is part of an old lake bed which was deposited about 52 million years ago and is internationally recognised for the diversity of plant, insect, and fish fossils found there. Similar fossil beds in Eocene lake sediments, also known for their well preserved plant, insect and fish fossils, are found at Driftwood Canyon Provincial Park near Smithers in northern British Columbia, on the Horsefly River near Quesnel in central British Columbia, and at Republic in Washington, United States. The Princeton Chert fossil beds in southern British Columbia are also Eocene, but primarily preserve an aquatic plant community. A 2016 review of the early Eocene fossil sites from the interior of British Columbia discusses the history of paleobotanical research at McAbee, the Princeton Chert, Driftwood Canyon, and related Eocene fossil sites such as at Republic.
The Allenby formation is a sedimentary rock formation in British Columbia which was deposited during the Ypresian stage of the Early Eocene. It consists of conglomerates, sandstones with interbedded shales and coal. The shales contain an abundance of insect, fish and plant fossils known from 1877 and onward, while the Princeton Chert was first indented in the 1950's and is known from anatomically preserved plants.
Liquidambar changii is an extinct species of sweetgum in the Altingiaceae genus Liquidambar. Liquidambar changii is known from Middle Miocene fossils found in Central Washington.
Shirleya is an extinct genus in the crape myrtle family, Lythraceae, which contains a single species, Shirleya grahamae. The genus and species are known from Middle Miocene fossils found in Central Washington.
Pentacentron is an extinct genus of flowering plant in the family Trochodendraceae, consisting of the single species Pentacentron sternhartae. The genus is known from fossil fruits found in the early Eocene deposits of northern Washington state, United States. P. sternhartae are possibly the fruits belonging to the extinct trochodendraceous leaves Tetracentron hopkinsii.
Tetracentron hopkinsii is an extinct species of flowering plant in the family Trochodendraceae. The species is known from fossil leaves found in the early Eocene deposits of northern Washington state, United States and south Central British Columbia. The species was first described from fossil leaves found in the Allenby Formation. T. hopkinsii are possibly the leaves belonging to the extinct trochodendraceous fruits Pentacentron sternhartae.
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.
Carpinus perryae is an extinct species of hornbeam known from fossil fruits found in the Klondike Mountain Formation deposits of northern Washington state, dated to the early Eocene Ypresian stage. Based on described features, C. perryae is the oldest definite species in the genus Carpinus.
The paleoflora of the Eocene Okanagan Highlands includes all plant and fungi fossils preserved in the Eocene Okanagan Highlands Lagerstätten. The highlands are a series of Early Eocene geological formations which span an 1,000 km (620 mi) transect of British Columbia, Canada and Washington state, United States and are known for the diverse and detailed plant fossils which represent an upland temperate ecosystem immediately after the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum, and before the increased cooling of the middle and late Eocene to Oligocene. The fossiliferous deposits of the region were noted as early as 1873, with small amounts of systematic work happening in the 1880-90s on British Columbian sites, and 1920-30s for Washington sites. A returned focus and more detailed descriptive work on the Okanagan Highlands sites revived in the 1970's. The noted richness of agricultural plant families in Republic and Princeton floras resulted in the term "Eocene orchards" being used for the paleofloras.
Fagus langevinii is an extinct species of beech in the family Fagaceae. The species is known from fossil fruits, nuts, pollen, and leaves found in the early Eocene deposits of South central British Columbia, and northern Washington state, United States.
The Eocene Okanagan Highlands or Eocene Okanogan Highlands are a series of Early Eocene geological formations which span a 1,000 km (620 mi) transect of British Columbia, Canada, and Washington state, United States. Known for a highly diverse and detailed plant and animal paleobiota the paleolake beds as a whole are considered one of the great Canadian Lagerstätten. The paleobiota represented are of an upland subtropical to temperate ecosystem series immediately after the Paleocene–Eocene thermal maximum, and before the increased cooling of the middle and late Eocene to Oligocene. The fossiliferous deposits of the region were noted as early as 1873, with small amounts of systematic work happening in the 1870–1920s on British Columbian sites, and 1920–1930s for Washington sites. Focus and more detailed descriptive work on the Okanagan Highland sites started in the late 1960s.
Uhlia is an extinct genus of coryphoid palm containing a single species Uhlia allenbyensis. The species is known from permineralized remains recovered from the Princeton Chert in British Columbia, Canada. Leaves of Uhlia have "tar spot"-like fungal infections of the extinct ascomycete Paleoserenomyces, which in turn are hyperparasitized by the ascomycete Cryptodidymosphaerites.
Cryptodidymosphaerites is an extinct monotypic genus of pleosporale fungus of uncertain family placement. When described it contained the single species Cryptodidymosphaerites princetonensis. The genus is solely known from the Early Eocene, Ypresian aged, Princeton Chert deposit of the Allenby Formation. Cryptodidymosphaerites is one of only three described fossil fungus species found in the Princeton Chert, and is a hyperparasite of Palaeoserenomyces allenbyensis, itself a tar spot-like parasite of the fossil palm Uhlia.
The Paleobiota of the Klondike Mountain Formation comprises a diverse suite of Early Eocene plants and animals recovered from North Central Washington State. The formation outcrops in locations across the north western area of Ferry County, with major sites in Republic, north west of Curlew Lake, and on the Toroda Creek area. The formation is the southern most of the Eocene Okanagan Highlands, sharing much of the paleoflora and paleofauna with site across Central and southern British Columbia.
Paleoallium is an extinct genus of onion-like plant in the family Amaryllidaceae known from the single described species Paleoallium billgenseli. The species is known from Early Eocene sediments exposed in the northeast of the U.S. state of Washington.
Allenbya is an extinct genus of water lilies in the family Nymphaceae containing a single species Allenbya collinsonae. The species is known from permineralized remains recovered from the Early Eocene Princeton Chert in British Columbia, Canada.