Geinitzia reichenbachii (Geinitz, 1842) Hollick and Jeffrey, 1909

Halamski, Adam T., 2013, Latest Cretaceous leaf floras from southern Poland and western Ukraine, Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 58 (2), pp. 407-443 : 414-416

Geinitzia reichenbachii (Geinitz, 1842) Hollick and Jeffrey, 1909

Figs. 2C, D, 3F, H, 5D–F, K.

1907 Geinitzia formosa Heer ; Nowak 1907a: 48, pl. 1: 4, 14.

1907 Sequoia pectinata Heer (?); Nowak 1907a: 47–48, pl. 2: 18.

1967 Sequoia reichenbachii Heer ; Malicki et al. 1967: 223–224, figs. 4–7.

1967 Sequoia pectinata Heer ; Malicki et al.1967: 224, fig. 8.

part1967 Geinitzia cretacea Unger ; Malicki et al. 1967: 225, figs. 11, 12, non figs. 9, 10.

part1967 Cunninghamia elegans Corda ; Malicki et al. 1967: 226–227, non fig. 10.

1998 Araucarites cryptomeriefolius Drygant , sp. nov.; Drygant 1998: 144; pl. 1: 5.

2006 Araucarites cryptomeriefolius Drygant 1998 ; Mamčur 2006: 41, pl. 1: 1–2.

2010 Geinitzia reichenbachii (Geinitz, 1842) Hollick and Jeffrey, 1909 ; Kunzmann 2010: 126–134, text−figs. 3–4, pls. 1–4 [ubi syn.].

Nasiłów, upper Campanian. I. Cunninghamites sp. , bark impression KrM Pb 2/1; Krasnobród, upper Campanian. J. Cunninghamites ubaghsii Debey ex Ubaghs, 1885 emend. van der Ham et al., 2004 , twig MZ VII/33/36; Krasnobród, upper Campanian. Scale bars 10 mm.

http://dx.doi.org/10.4202/app.2011.0024

Type material: neotype, fragmentary twig MMG PB CsK 220 selected and illustrated by Kunzmann (2010: pls. 1, 4: 3A).

Type locality: Hudcov / Hundorf, Bohemia .

Type horizon: Teplice Formation , upper Turonian .

Material.—A single ramified branch system, JS 7, from Krasnobród and several twig fragments from Krasnobród (MZ VII/32/9, ZPAL Pl 4/1/1), Kazimierz Dolny (MZ VII/32/4bis, 7, 10–11, 14–16, 18, 20–28, 30–35, MZ VII/33/13–15, 17–19, 21–22, 26, 40, 47, 53), Piotrawin (MZ VII/33/4), Rachodoszcze (MZ VII/32/1–2), Pidtemne (L PB−K.25), Potelych (L PB−K.3, 7, 14 formerly 7665, 7669, 7676), Tarnawatka (L PB−K.60), Zashkiv (ZPAL Pl 4/4/1).

Description.—Branches departing at an angle of 30–50 ° from a main branch up to 7 mm wide ( Fig. 2D). Twig fragments up to ca. 13 cm in length; leaf scars 2 mm wide and 3–4 mm long. Leaves densely packed, spirally arranged, falcate, basally not contracted, spreading from the axis at a variable angle (30– 70 °), rhomboid in cross−section (two keels, one adaxial and one abaxial), up to 17 mm long; apices acute (often they are not preserved, so an appearance of rounded apex results).

Remarks.—The described specimens belong to the genus Geinitzia on account of their quadrangular subdecurrent leaves. Among the species of this genus they are most similar to G. reichenbachii in form and size of the leaves. Those of G. formosa are smaller than in the studied material. The leaves are falcate through straight to S−shaped in the fossil conifer termed “ G. cretacea Unger, 1852 ” by Němejc and Kvaček (1975), from the Senonian of Bohemia, and nearly straight in G. rigida (Phillips, 1875) Harris, 1979 , from the Jurassic of Yorkshire ( Kunzmann 2010). However, lack of cuticular characters and considerable stratigraphic interval between the analysed sample (Campanian to Maastrichtian) and the type level of G. reichenbachii (late Turonian) indicate that our identification should be treated with some caution. Detailed comparison with coeval conifers from Limburg ( van der Ham et al. 2001) is also precluded by lack of cuticles; nonetheless, macromorphological differences between those taxa and the described material can also be shown: Cryptomeriopsis eluvialis van der Ham, 2001 has broadly decurrent leaves (subdecurrent in our material), whereas Elatidopsis cryptomerioides ( Miquel, 1853) van der Ham, 2001 has flattened needles (quadrangular in our material).

Stratigraphic and geographic range.— Bohemia, Turonian; Swalmen, Netherlands, Santonian; Roztocze and Volhynia−Podolia Upland, Campanian to Maastrichtian (outside the studied area after Kunzmann 2010).