Cedrelospermum SAPORTA, 1889

Kvaček, Zlatko & Teodoridis, Vasilis, 2011, The Late Eocene Flora Of Kučlín Near Bílina In North Bohemia Revisited, Acta Musei Nationalis Pragae Series B 67 (3 - 4), pp. 83-144 : 97

Cedrelospermum SAPORTA emend. Manchester

This morphogenus of the extinct Ulmaceae is based on a detached fruit of Cedrelospermum aquense (SAPORTA) SAPORTA, 1889 (?? Embothrites aquensis SAPORTA, 1865 refigured in Manchester 1987a, b, pl. 1, fig. 4) from the Oligocene of France (Aix-en-Provence). In the genus Cedrelospermum, Saporta (1889) originally included several kinds of mesofossils, which he believed to represent seeds. In his concept he included as a synonym Embothrites UNGER arguing that such fossils do not belong to the Proteaceae .

Manchester (1987a, b: 120) firstly emended Cedrelospermum for detached fruits only and incorrectly suggested as the lectotype C. leptospermum (ETTINGSHAUSEN) MANCHESTER (= Embothrites leptospermos ETTINGSHAUSEN, 1853 ) from Häring stressing the differences from the similar type specimen of Embothrites borealis UNGER from Socka, Slovenia ( Unger 1850b). He subsequently newly corrected his previous typification ( Manchester 1989: 261-262). He suggested Cedrelospermum aquense as a type of Cedrelospermum and offered a new emendation to include detached fruits as well as fertile foliage twigs on the basis of more complete material from the Paleogene of the USA ( Cedrelospermum lineatum (LESQUEREUX) MANCHESTER (= Banksites lineatus LESQUEREUX, 1883 ), Florissant, C. nervosum (NEWBERRY) MANCHESTER (= Planera nervosa NEWBERRY, 1883 ) as well the fruits from Europe. Manchester (1987a: 262) merged at this occasion C. aquense with the previously treated species C. leptospermum leaving the species taxonomy open. However, he noticed the size differences among European Tertiary populations ( Manchester 1987a: 262, footnote).

After more material from Europe has become available ( Wilde and Manchester 2003) Manchester’s suspicion can be confirmed. The differences in the fruit size go along with changes in co-occurring leaf morphology. At least two species of Cedrelospermum are recognizable in Europe ( Wilde and Manchester 2003), one with small fruits and narrower leaves (Häring, Messel, Kučlín) and others with larger fruits and variable foliage (see also Kovar-Eder et al. 2004, Hably and Thiébaut 2002). From the late Eocene diatomite at Kučlín, Kvaček (2002a) first announced such fruits and foliage but treated both organs under the same headings. In the present treatment, a traditional separation of the fruits and foliage morphogenera is preferred in spite of the interconnection between fruits and foliage both in North America and Europe (Wilde and Manchester 2002).