Zelkovoxylon crystalliferum Akkemik

Plant Fossil Names Registry Number: PFN002218

Act LSID: urn:lsid:plantfossilnames.org:act:2218

Author: Ü. Akkemik

Rank: species

Reference: Akkemik, Ü. (2021): A re-examination of the angiosperm wood record from the early and middle Miocene of Turkey, and new species descriptions. – Acta Palaeobotanica 61(1): 42–94.

Page of description: 84

Illustrations or figures: pls 21, 22

Types

Original diagnosis/description

Wood ring-porous, growth ring boundaries distinct, with abrupt transition from earlywood to latewood. Earlywood vessels in 1–2 rows; vessel clusters and diagonals common in latewood. Vessel tangential and radial diameter both measure 50–100 μm and 100–200 μm in earlywood and >50 μm in latewood (Pl. 21A, B). Axial parenchyma paratracheal, mainly in vessel clusters of latewood. Rays 1–6-seriate, in two distinct sizes. Wider rays 4 (3–6)-seriate, generally 25–35 (–51) cells high; narrow rays (1–2-seriate) and generally 11–23 cells high (Pl. 21C, D). Rays homocellular with entirely procumbent ray cells and heterocellular with mostly procumbent body ray cells and 1–4 rows of upright and/or square marginal cells. Axial parenchyma in strands of 2–4 cells. Prismatic crystals extremely dense in axial parenchyma and in enlarged axial parenchyma cells, and in procumbent and upright cells of rays (Pl. 22A–C). Crystals appear as clusters in some rays (Pl. 22B). Perforation plates simple (Pl. 22C, D). Helical thickening common in latewood vessels and vascular/vasicentric tracheids (Pl. 22D).

Etymology

The epithet “crystalliferum” refers to the presence of very dense crystals in rays and axial parenchyma cells.

Stratigraphy

Neogene, Miocene
Hançili Formation, early Miocene

Locality

Turkey
Near Aşağıgüney village, Beypazarı city, Ankara Province