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Taxonomy, biogeography and evolution of plants
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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 23(2)

Calamoid fossil palm leaves and fruits (Arecaceae: Calamoideae) from Late Eocene Southland, New Zealand

Samuel J. Hartwich A , John G. Conran A D , Jennifer M. Bannister B , Jon K. Lindqvist C and Daphne E. Lee C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Australian Centre for Evolutionary Biology and Biodiversity, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Benham Bldg DP312, The University of Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia.

B Department of Botany, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand.

C Department of Geology, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand.

D Corresponding author. Email: john.conran@adelaide.edu.au

Australian Systematic Botany 23(2) 131-140 https://doi.org/10.1071/SB09027
Submitted: 3 June 2009  Accepted: 21 January 2010   Published: 31 May 2010

Abstract

Late Eocene prickly-leaved and scaly-fruited palm macrofossils are described from Pikopiko, Southland, New Zealand, and compared with extant Arecaceae: Calamoideae. Lamina prickles and scaly fruits support affinities to the subfamily and tribe Calameae and possible association with the extant genus Calamus. Because isolated calamoid leaf fragments and fruit are difficult to determine precisely, the fossils are placed into a new form genus (Calamoides) for the leaves and the existing form genus Lepidocaryopsis for the fruits. These represent the first calamoid-like palm macrofossils from New Zealand and suggest a subtropical to tropical palaeoclimate at far southern latitudes in the Late Eocene and an early, widespread vicariant Gondwanan distribution for the subfamily.


Acknowledgements

The Australian Tropical Herbarium (QRS), Atherton, Queensland provided material of extant Australian Calamus species, and Adelaide Microscopy provided valuable assistance with epidermal SEM. The Departments of Geology and Botany, University of Otago, Dunedin and the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Adelaide, are thanked for resources to undertake this research. Funds for this study were provided by the Division of Sciences, University of Otago. John Dowe (James Cook University) and Bob Hill (University of Adelaide) are thanked for comments on the manuscript.


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