Banksieaephyllum
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| Banksieaephyllum Fossil range: Paleocene - early Miocene |
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Banksieaephyllum is a plant genus that encompasses organically preserved fossil leaves that can be attributed to the Proteaceae tribe Banksieae, but cannot be attributed to a genus.
Before 1950, many fossil leaves were attributed to the genera Banksia and Dryandra. In most cases, leaves with triangular lobes were associated with Dryandra, and leaves with serration were associated with Banksia. In 1950, Isabel Cookson and Suzanna Duigan showed this policy to be flawed, by demonstrating that the leaves of the two genera cannot be reliably distinguished. Since these two genera then comprised tribe Banksieae, Cookson and Duigan erected Banksieaephyllum to contain such leaves.[1]
Since then, Banksia and Dryandra have been further grouped into subtribe Banksiinae, and another subtribe, Musgraveinae, erected to contain two new genera. Interpretations of Banksieaephyllum are now no longer consistent. Some botanists continue to hold that Banksieaephyllum is for fossil leaves that can be attributed to Banksieae but not to a genus; that is, they include fossils that cannot be excluded from the Musgravinae.[2] Others hold that Cookson and Duigan's intentions were for the genus to hold fossil leaves that are known to be Dryandra or Banksia, but cannot be attributed to either with certainty; thus they now define the genus in terms of Banksinae rather than Banksieae.[3]
Dryandra has now been transferred into Banksia.[4] Although as yet undetermined, the latter interpretation would result in Banksieaephyllum becoming a nomenclatural synonym of Banksia.[original research?]
Fossils ascribed to Banksieaephyllum have been found in sediments dating from the Paleocene to early Miocene. At of 1998, the most recent synopsis, there are 16 species, including:
- Banksieaephyllum acuminatum
- Banksieaephyllum angustum
- Banksieaephyllum attenuatum
- Banksieaephyllum cuneatum
- Banksieaephyllum elongatus
- Banksieaephyllum fastigatum
- Banksieaephyllum incisum
- Banksieaephyllum longifolium
- Banksieaephyllum obovatum
- Banksieaephyllum pinnatum
- Banksieaephyllum praefastigatum
- Banksieaephyllum regularis
- Banksieaephyllum urnifome
- Banksieaephyllum westdaliense
[edit] See also
- Banksieaeformis, a genus for fossil leaves with the same architecture as Banksieaephyllum, but without organic detail; like Banksieaephyllum, these can be attributed to tribe Banksieae, but not to a genus.
- Banksieaeidites, a genus for fossil pollen specimens that can be attributed to tribe Banksieae, but not to a genus.
[edit] References
- ^ Cookson, Isabel C. and Duigan, Suzanne L. (1950). "Fossil Banksieae from Yallourn, Victoria, with notes on the morphology and anatomy of living species". Australian Journal of Scientific Research, Series B (Biological Sciences) 3 (2): 133–165.
- ^ Vadala, Anthony J. and Drinnan, Andrew N. (1998). "Elaborating the Fossil History of Banksiinae: A New Species of Banksieaephyllum (Proteaceae) from the Late Paleocene of New South Wales". Australian Systematic Botany 11: 439–463. doi:.
- ^ Carpenter, Raymond J. and Gregory J. Jordan (1997). "Early tertiary macrofossils of Proteaceae from Tasmania". Australian Systematic Botany 10: 533–563. doi:.
- ^ Mast, Austin R. and Kevin Thiele (2007). "The transfer of Dryandra R.Br. to Banksia L.f. (Proteaceae)". Australian Systematic Botany 20: 63–71. doi:.
