Eucryphia falcata

Eucryphia falcata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Oxalidales
Family:	Cunoniaceae
Genus:	Eucryphia
Species:	†E. falcata
Binomial name
†Eucryphia falcata Hill[1]

Eucryphia falcata is an extinct species of flowering plant. It belongs to the genus Eucryphia within the family Cunoniaceae.[1]

Description

Macrofossils of compound leaves with an unknown number of total leaflets have been found. The lateral leaflets are falcate, and the terminal leaflet is symmetrical. It has a rounded base. The leaf margin had serrations.[2] This is likely the plesiomorphic condition for all genera of the family Cunoniaceae.[3] The leaves also had trichomes.[2]

Etymology

The specific epithet falcata is derived from the falcate, lateral leaflets of the compound leaves.[2]

Temporal range

This species lived during the late Paleocene, during the timeframe of 58.7 to 55.8 Ma.[2][4][5] It is the oldest fossil Eucryphia species.[3][6]

Distribution

One fossil specimen has been found near Bunyan, New South Wales, Australia.[1] The fossil was found in lake sediments of the Lake Bungarby,[2] which is a terrestrial mudstone dating back to the Paleocene.[5]

References

1. Eucryphia falcata Hill, 1991. (n.d.). GBIF | Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved November 9, 2022, from https://www.gbif.org/species/8606557
2. Hill, R. S. (1991). Leaves of Eucryphia (Eucryphiaceae) from Tertiary sediments in south-eastern Australia. Australian Systematic Botany, 4(3), 481–497.
3. Barnes, R. W., & Jordan, G. J. (2000). "Eucryphia (Cunoniaceae) reproductive and leaf macrofossils from Australian Cainozoic sediments." Australian Systematic Botany, 13(3), 373–394.
4. Barnes, R. W. (1999). "Palaeobiogeography, extinctions and evolutionary trends in the Cunoniaceae: a synthesis of the fossil record (Doctoral dissertation, University of Tasmania)."
5. †Eucryphia falcata Hill 1991. (n.d.). Fossilworks: Gateway to the Paleobiology Database. Retrieved November 9, 2022, from http://www.fossilworks.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?a=taxonInfo
6. Keefe, R. L. (2012). "The Brandy Creek fossil flora (Doctoral dissertation, Victoria University)."