Paisia sp.

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 : 388

? Paisia sp.

Text-fig. 33d

Description and remarks. The material comprises a single specimen described previously from the Catefica locality ( Friis et al. 2018a). The specimen consists of a long axis terminating in a floral structure of which only the gynoecium is preserved. The receptacle has poorlydefined scars from shed floral parts and the structure is apparently preserved at a post-anthetic stage ( Text-fig. 33d ). The gynoecium is apocarpous consisting of three ovoid to elliptic follicular carpels. Each carpel has about ten ovules/ seeds borne in two longitudinal rows along the entire ventral suture.

Affinity and other occurrences.Thesingle specimen is similar to Paisia pantoporata in its receptacle with apical facets, the cellular details of the pedicel and carpel wall, and the gynoecium of free, follicular carpels. However, the specimen differs in its trimerous gynoecium and should probably be assigned to a new species, either in Paisia or in a new extinct genus ( Friis et al. 2018a).

Figures

Text-fig. 33. Synchrotron radiation X-ray tomographic microscopy (SRXTM, a, c) and scanning electron microscope (SEM, b, d) images of Paisia pantoporata (a–c) and?Paisia sp. (d); Catefica locality, Portugal. a) Lateral view (volume rendering) of flower showing the carpels (c) and the fleshy tepals (t) that have a slightly bulge near the base; b) Pollen grains in situ from stamen showing scattered pores and spiny supratectal ornamentation; c) Transverse section (orthoslice xz1024) through flower showing the pentamerous organization with five tepals (green) five stamens (yellow) and five carpels (red) all on the same radii; d) Lateral view of floral structure with three free carpels borne on the swollen receptacle that has poorly defined facets at the apex indicating the former presence of perianth parts. Specimens, Catefica 49-S101214 (a, c), Catefica 50-S170188 (b), Catefica MM125-P0292 (d). Scale bars = 300 Μm (a, c, d), 6 Μm (b).