Myristica catahoulensis E.W.Berry

Plant Fossil Names Registry Number: PFN000584

Act LSID: urn:lsid:plantfossilnames.org:act:584

Rank: species

Reference: Berry, E. W. (1916): A fossil nutmeg from the Tertiary of Texas. – American Journal of Science, Ser. 4 42: 241–245.

Page of description: 241

Illustrations or figures: fig. 1: 1–6

Types

Syntype n/n
Figures: fig. 1:1–6

Note: Berry (1916: 241–242) stated: "This species is based on the single valve of the pericarp shown in figs. 4–6 and on the partial remains of several nuts, only one of which is perfect (fig. 1)."

Lectotype USNM 38353D, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., United States
designated in Huegele, I. B. & Manchester, S. R. (2019): Newly recognized diversity of fruits and seeds from the Late Paleogene flora of Trinity County, East Texas, USA. – Int. J. Pl. Sci. 180(7): 681–708. on page 701
Plant Fossil Names Registry Number: PFN000585
Act LSID: urn:lsid:plantfossilnames.org:act:585
Figures: 12B

Note: Remaining former syntypes: USNM 38353B (Fig. 12A), USNM 38353C (Fig. 12C).

Original diagnosis/description

Pericarp broadly ovate, slightly longer than wide, approximately circular in cross section, thick, two-valved, about 5 cm in length and 3.75 cm in diameter, enclosing a single large seed. The aril either decayed before fossilization or became separated from the seed and was not preserved in the same deposit and the perisperm is likewise missing. The seed is large, circular in cross section, evenly rounded proximad and shows a distinct hilum. It is slightly narrowed and bluntly pointed distad. The surface is ornamented by numerous irregular longitudinal corrugations marking the ruminating endosperm. These markings are in faint relief and much less prominent than the corresponding markings of the commercial nutmeg, due in a measure to the fact that fossils are all casts in a somewhat porous sandstone. Similar artificial casts of the strongly marked commercial nuts are scarcely to be distinguished from the fossil casts. The nuts, of which several have been found, are about 3 cm in length by 1.7 cm in maximum diameter, which is midway between the apex and the base.

Emended diagnosis

Huegele, Manchester (2019: Int. J. Plant Sci. 180(7): 701):
Fruits ellipsoidal, incompletely preserved, blunt or rounded apically and basally portions that suggest an original shape. Nearly circular in cross section, 14 mm in diameter, with fine, weakly anastomosing striations.

Stratigraphy

Paleogene, Eocene
Whitsett Formation (according to Huegele, Manchester (2019: Int. J. Plant Sci., 180(7): 682)

Hollick (1916) stated that the material originated from "...Catahoula formation in this area is either late Eocene or early Oligocene in age". But Huegele, Manchester (2019) corrected this opinion: "Although previously suggested to derive from the Catahoula Formation, current mapping suggests that this flora was collected from the Whitsett Formation and is likely of late Eocene age".

Locality

United States
Trinity county, Texas; a cut on the International and Great Northern Railroad in southern Trinity county, where a spur to the Government lock leaves the main line (according to Hollick 1916).

Plant fossil remain

macro- and meso-fossils-embryophytes except wood

Comments

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