Teixeiraea lusitanica Balthazar, K.R.Pedersen et E.M.Friis

Plant Fossil Names Registry Number: PFN001998

Act LSID: urn:lsid:plantfossilnames.org:act:1998

Authors: M. von Balthazar, K. R. Pedersen & E. M. Friis

Rank: species

Genus: Teixeiraea Balthazar, K.R.Pedersen et E.M.Friis

Reference: von Balthazar, M., Pedersen, K. R. & Friis, E. M. (2005): Teixeiraea lusitanica, a new fossil flower from the Early Creataceous of Portugal with affinities to Ranunculates. – Plant Systematics and Evolution 255: 55–75.

Page of description: 69

Illustrations or figures: figs 1–25

Name is type for

Types

Original diagnosis/description

Flower male unisexual; perianth apparently spirally arrang (at leastn in the bracts and sepals) and exhibiting a transition between different organ categories from small bracts to large sepals and petals the same length as the bud, number of bracts and sepals c. 14 and of petals c. 12; androecium of c. 20 stamens in two sizes, stamens with short filaments and basifixed dithecate, tetrasporangiate anthers; anther dehiscence by longitudinal slits; connective extended; pollen small, tricolpate with long colpi, pollen wall tectateperforate and columellate; no rudiments of gynoecium present.
Peripheral bracts small (c. 300 μm) and obtuse, central bracts longer (c. 1.5 mm), sepal-like tepals c. 3 mm long and lorate, petal-like tepals c. 3 mm long, ensiform and with inflexed apices in bud, bracts and sepals abaxially with papillate epidermis and glandular cells, petal-like tepals with smooth abaxial epidermis; connective in the apical part of the anther broadened and curved, connective extension inflexed towards floral centre in bud; pollen prolate to spheroidal, c. 15-20 μm in equatorial diameter and c. 20 μm in polar diameter, pollen wall with fine perforations of c. 0.2 μm size, infratectal layer composed of short, densely spaced columellae, foot layer homogenous, endexine is granular and thicker under the apertures, in the apertural regions the endexine is intermixed with the ektexine to form a distinct laminar zone.

Etymology

From Lusitania, name of Roman province covering central Portugal where the fossil was collected.

Stratigraphy

Cretaceous, Lower Cretaceous
basal part (Famalicão Member) of the Figueira da Foz Formation (late Aptian or early Albian)

Locality

Portugal
near the village of Vale de Agua in western Portugal (39°37′15″N, 8°51′30″W)