Carpolithus boldensis, Berry, 1929

Blanchard, J, Wang, H & Dilcher, D, 2016, Fruits, seeds and flowers from the Bovay and Bolden clay pits (early Eocene Tallahatta Formation, Claiborne Group), northern Mississippi, USA, Palaeontologia Electronica 19 (3), pp. 1-59 : 42

Carpolithus boldensis sp. nov.

( Figure 47 )

Description. Lemma narrowly elliptic, 6.5 mm long and 1.2 mm wide, a midvein extending from the base of the awn to the seed body; seed attached to the basal part of the lemma, narrowly elliptic, 3.5 mm long and 1.2 mm wide, apex rounded; awn 2 mm long and 0.1 mm wide, attached to the apex of the lemma.

Number of specimens examined. 2. UF15738- 059413 (Holotype, designated here) ; UF15738- 011030 ’b.

Remarks. This disseminule probably represents a monocot (grass) fruit. Coincidentally, a fragment of a monocot leaf is preserved next to the disseminule on the same specimen. Spikelets and inflorescence fragments with in situ pollen that have a suite of diagnostic characters of Poaceae have been reported from the Claiborne Group from western Tennessee ( Crepet and Feldman, 1991).

Figures

FIGURE 47. Carpolithus boldensis sp. nov.: 1) UF15738-059413. Specimen showing lemma (l), awn (a), and seed body (s). Scale bar equals 1 mm; 2) Enlargement of Figure 47.1 to show midvein of lemma (indicated by arrow) and narrow, elliptic seed body. Sclae bar = 0.5 mm.