Anatomically preserved leaves of the conifer notophytum krauselii (Podocarpaceae) from the Triassic of Antarctica

Permineralized leaves of the Triassic podocarpaceous conifer Notophytum krauselii are described from the Fremouw Formation of Antarctica. The leaves are elongate and apetiolate with 8–12 parallel veins. The adaxial epidermis consists of rows of rectangular to pentagonal cells; the abaxial epidermis...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:American Journal of Botany
Main Authors: Axsmith, Brian J., Taylor, Thomas N., Taylor, Edith L.
Other Authors: National Science Foundation
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Wiley 1998
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2446541
https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.2307%2F2446541
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.2307/2446541
http://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/chorus/v1/articles/10.2307%2F2446541
Description
Summary:Permineralized leaves of the Triassic podocarpaceous conifer Notophytum krauselii are described from the Fremouw Formation of Antarctica. The leaves are elongate and apetiolate with 8–12 parallel veins. The adaxial epidermis consists of rows of rectangular to pentagonal cells; the abaxial epidermis is papillate. Longitudinally oriented stomata occur on both surfaces. An adaxial palisade layer is present and auxiliary sclereids are common in the mesophyll. The vascular bundles have a weakly defined sheath and are flanked by transfusion tracheids. Bundles in the basipetal area of the leaf are capped by sclerotic tissue and subtended by resin canals. These leaves are superficially similar to those of the extant podocarp genus Nageia, but probably represent a distinct acquisition of this leaf type within the Podocarpaceae. Notophytum leaves are similar to the common compression fossil Heidiphyllum elongatum and may be closely related or even conspecific. Evidence from Antarctica suggests that Heidiphyllum and the seed cone Telemachus were produced by the same plant, and may be closely related to several other early Mesozoic conifers with multiveined leaves.