Protohedycarya, Ruffle, 1965

Halamski, Adam T., 2013, Latest Cretaceous leaf floras from southern Poland and western Ukraine, Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 58 (2), pp. 407-443 : 429

Protohedycarya ? sp.

Fig. 12B.

1907 Quercus castanoides Newb. ; Nowak 1907a: 49, pl. 1: 5, 2: 19.

1907 Myrica acuminata Ung. ; Nowak 1907a: 51, pl. 1: 8.

1962 Quercus castaneoides Newb. ; Cieśliński and Milaković 1962: 254, pl. 2: 3.

?1962 Dryophyllum sp. ; Cieśliński and Milaković 1962: 254, pl. 1: 3.

Material.—Three incomplete leaves L PB−K.4 (formerly 143) and L PB−K.19, 19A (formerly 158; part and counterpart), both from Potelych, and PIG 60 III 9 (part and counterpart) from Raków.

Description.—Blade attachment marginal, laminar size notophyll (length of the preserved part 6.6 cm), length to width ratio possibly about or over 3:1, blade medially symmetric, margin unlobed with serrate teeth. Apex not preserved. Base angle acute, shape decurrent (or cuneate?).

A single thick basal vein is present. Secondary veins are preserved in the specimen from Raków: they depart from the midvein at an angle of 60–80 ° and at first straight; then they are difficult to observe, at least some of them, however, are curving, suggesting a brochidodromous arrangement.

Teeth spacing irregular (distances between four preserved teeth are 7, 8, and 11 mm). Sinus shape rounded. Tooth shape: proximal flank straight, distal flank concave.

Remarks.—The described leaves are quite similar in the form of the leaf base and of the serration to the material described by Rüffle (1965) from the Senonian of Germany (see in particular Rüffle 1965: pl. 1: 2). Despite nomenclatural problems (the type material of the genus is quite poorly preserved) and the rather problematic assignment to Monimiaceae (even if accepted by Friis et al. 1997), the genus Protohedycarya seems the best place for the described specimens. Dryophyllum Debey ex de Saporta, 1868 has an asymmetric base ( Jones et al. 1988) and cannot be used for our material. The second specimen of Quercus castanoides sensu Nowak (1907a : pl. 1: 5) could not be traced. The poorly preserved fragmentary leaf PIG 60 III 6 from Zgubieniec ( Dryophyllum sp. sensu Ciesliński and Milaković 1962) has a different leaf form but a similar serration; given the variability described by Rüffle (1965), it might represent the same species.