PREMISE Exceptional anatomical preservation of a fossil araucarian seed cone from a marine carbonate concretion from Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada provides unusually complete evidence for cone structure including seeds, megagametophytes, microgametophytes, and embryos of an Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) species of Araucaria, providing important new insights into the structure and relationships of Cretaceous Northern Hemisphere Araucariaceae. METHODS The cone was studied from serial thin sections prepared by the coal ball peel technique. Phylogenetic analysis using a modified morphological matrix with both discrete and continuous characters was performed using TNT version 1.5. RESULTS The nearly spherical cone, 6 × 6 cm in diameter, has helically arranged cone-scale complexes, consisting of a large bract with an upturned tip and a small, fleshy ovuliferous scale. Vascularization of the cone-scale complex is single at its origin. Widely winged bracts, with a bulging base, contain numerous vascular bundles, interspersed with transfusion tissue, and a large number of resin canals. Seeds are ovoid, 1.2 cm long, 1.2 cm in diameter. Nucellus is free from the integument, except at its base, with a convoluted apex, containing possible pollen tubes. Megagametophytes and mature cellular embryos occur in several seeds. CONCLUSIONS This small cone with attached, imbricate leaves, wide bracts, and unusually large seeds, most closely resembles those of Araucaria Section Eutacta. Width and continuity of secondary xylem in the cone axis, and intact cone-scale complexes indicate that this cone probably did not disarticulate readily at maturity. When added to a modified, previously published phylogenetic analysis, Araucaria famii sp. nov. enhances our understanding of the Cretaceous radiation of Northern Hemisphere Araucaria Section Eutacta.

中文翻译：

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冠组南洋杉的多样化：南洋杉家族的作用。十一月 在北半球南洋杉科中白垩纪（坎帕阶）辐射中

前提 来自加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚省温哥华岛的海洋碳酸盐结核化石南洋杉种子锥的特殊解剖学保存为锥结构提供了异常完整的证据，包括种子、巨型配子体、小配子体和上白垩纪（坎帕尼亚）南洋杉物种的胚胎，为白垩纪北半球南洋杉科的结构和关系提供了重要的新见解。方法从煤球剥离技术制备的连续薄片中研究锥体。系统发育分析使用具有离散和连续特征的修改形态矩阵，使用 TNT 1.5 版进行。结果 近球形锥体，直径 6 × 6 cm，具有螺旋状排列的锥度复合体，由一个大苞片和一个小、肉质卵生鳞片。锥形复合体的血管化在其起源处是单一的。苞片宽翅，基部膨出，内含大量维管束，散布着输液组织，有大量树脂管。种子卵圆形，长1.2厘米，直径1.2厘米。Nucellus 没有珠被，除了在它的基部，有一个盘旋的顶端，可能含有花粉管。巨型配子体和成熟的细胞胚胎出现在几个种子中。结论 这种带有附着的覆瓦状叶、宽苞片和异常大种子的小锥体，与 Araucaria Section Eutacta 最相似。锥轴上次生木质部的宽度和连续性以及完整的锥尺度复合体表明该锥在成熟时可能不容易脱节。添加到修改后，先前发表的系统发育分析，Araucaria famii sp。十一月 增强了我们对北半球 Araucaria Section Eutacta 白垩纪辐射的理解。