Cibotium tasmanense sp. nov., A fossil tree-fern from the Tertiary of Tasmania

Abstract

A silicified solenostelic tree-fern stem with persistent petiole bases, Cibotium tasmanense sp. nov., described from the Tertiary of Tasmania and closely compared with extant Cibotium, is apparently the first fossil record for stems of this genus. The occur- rence substantiates interpretations of a warm and humid Tasmanian climate in the Tertiary.