Tricarinella crassiphylla Savoretti, Bippus, Stockey, Rothwell et Tomescu

Plant Fossil Names Registry Number: PFN001138

Act LSID: urn:lsid:plantfossilnames.org:act:1138

Authors: A. Savoretti, A. C. Bippus, R. A. Stockey, G. W. Rothwell & A. M. F. Tomescu

Rank: species

Genus: Tricarinella Savoretti, Bippus, Stockey, Rothwell et Tomescu

Reference: Savoretti, A., Bippus, A. C., Stockey, R. A., Rothwell, G. W. & Tomescu, A. M. F. (2018): Grimmiaceae in the Early Cretaceous: Tricarinella crassiphylla gen. et sp. nov. and the value of anatomically preserved bryophytes. – Annals of Botany 121(7): 1275–1286.

Page of description: 1276

Illustrations or figures: figs 1–5

Name is type for

Types

Original diagnosis/description

Gametophyte cushion-forming. Main shoot small, 500 μm in diameter, triangular in cross-section. Branches diverge at acute angles. Stem with sparse, small leaves basally, densely covered in leaves distally. Stem epidermis of small, flat cells. Cortex of larger, isodiametric parenchyma cells. Leaves densely imbricate along distal shoot segments; erect spreading, with basal part tightly appressed to stem. Leaves at least 600 μm wide, with keel starting close to base, more pronounced distally. Costa single, strong, crescent-shaped in cross-section basally, triangular to circular distally. Costa cells parenchymatous, circular in cross-section. Costa with abaxial layer of smaller cells throughout its length, adaxial layer of smaller cells in the distal costa. Lamina bistratose up to 130–160 μm from leaf base, with recurved margins when unistratose; recurvation more pronounced distally. Gemmae multicellular, subspherical to irregular in shape, between stem and leaf bases.

Etymology

The specific epithet crassiphylla refers to the basally bistratose (i.e. thick) leaf lamina (crassi for thick; phylla for leaf).

Stratigraphy

Cretaceous, Lower Cretaceous
Longarm Formation equivalent, Valanginian (approx. 136 Ma), Early Cretaceous

Locality

Canada
Apple Bay locality, Quatsino Sound, northern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada (latitude 50°36′21″N, 127°39′25″W; UTM 9U WG 951068).