Clavatipollenites-

Friis, Else Marie, Crane, Peter R., Pedersen, Kaj Raunsgaard, Mendes, Mário Miguel & Kvaček, Jiří, 2022, The Early Cretaceous Mesofossil Flora Of Catefica, Portugal: Angiosperms, Fossil Imprint 78 (2), pp. 341-424 : 357-360

Stamens with monocolpate Clavatipollenites- type pollen sp. 3

Text-fig. 12a–e

Description and remarks. The material comprises a single stamen with an elongated, elliptical and tetrasporangiate anther ( Text-fig. 12a ) that has in situ Clavatipollenites - type pollen ( Text-fig. 12b–e ). The anther is about 0.5 mm long and about 0.25 mm broad. Pollen is monoaperturate, but the grains are typically folded and the aperture is not fully exposed in any of the specimens. The grains are about 15–17 µm in diameter. The exine is semitectate-reticulate with a homobrochate reticulum ( Text-fig. 12b–e ). Lumina are irregular and up to about 1.5 µm in diameter. Muri are narrow, about 0.4 µm wide and ornamented with verrucae or spines arranged in one to two rows. Columellae are long, about 0.7 µm, and widely spaced ( Text-fig. 12d ). Orbicules on the inner surface of the anther wall and on the surface of the pollen grains are tiny, spherical and with fine spines ( Text-fig. 12e ).

Affinity and other occurrences. See comments on “Stamens with monocolpate Clavatipollenitestype pollen sp. 1” above.

Figures

Text-fig. 12. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of isolated “Stamen fragment with Clavatipollenites-type pollen sp. 3”; Catefica locality, Portugal. a) Stamen fragment with pollen in situ; b, c) Pollen grains showing the semitectate-reticulate pollen wall and folds (c) indicating a possible monocolpate aperture; d) Detail of pollen wall showing the semitectate-reticulate tectum and long, scattered columellae supporting the narrow muri with finely verrucate supratectal ornamentation; e) Detail of pollen wall showing tiny, spherical, finely spiny orbicules. Specimen, Catefica 50-S170449 (a–e). Scale bars = 600 Μm (a), 6 Μm (b, c), 1.5 Μm (d, e).