A new fossil species expands evolutionary understanding of crown group Araucaria

Araucaria is a genus of evergreen coniferous trees native to the Southern Hemisphere and widely planted for ornamental and timber purposes. Stockey and Rothwell report on a fossil cone of Araucaria from the Cretaceous of Vancouver Island, one of the best‐preserved specimens of this genus ever found, containing seeds with embryos, megagametophytes, and pollen tubes. This small cone with attached, imbricate leaves, wide bracts, and unusually large seeds is described as a new species, most closely resembling those of Araucaria Section Eutacta, a group primarily from New Caledonia and the South Pacific. Morphological characters indicate that this cone probably did not disarticulate readily at maturity as in living species. Combined with a phylogenetic analysis, Araucaria famii sp. nov. enhances our understanding of araucarian evolution. Additionally, the unexpected occurrence of a species of Araucaria Section Eutacta in the Late Cretaceous of North America reveals a much more extensive Northern Hemisphere distribution than previously realized. Stockey, R. A., and G. W. Rothwell. 2020. Diversification of crown group Araucaria : the role of Araucaria famii sp. nov. in the mid‐Cretaceous (Campanian) radiation of Araucariaceae in the Northern Hemisphere. American Journal of Botany https://doi.org/10.1002/ajb2.1505

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一种新的化石物种扩大了对冠群南洋杉的进化认识

南洋杉是常绿的针叶树种，原产于南半球，广泛种植用于观赏和木材目的。Stockey和Rothwell报告了来自温哥华岛白垩纪的南洋杉化石锥，这是有史以来保存最完好的标本之一，其中含有带有胚胎，大型配子体和花粉管的种子。这与附着，覆瓦状叶，宽苞，和不寻常的大种子小锥被描述为一个新物种，选择最接近的那些南洋杉科Eutacta，主要来自新喀里多尼亚和南太平洋的一群人。形态学特征表明，该圆锥体可能不像活物种中那样容易在成熟时脱节。结合系统发育分析，南洋杉。十一月 增进我们对自觉进化的理解。此外，在北美白垩纪晚期意外发生的南洋杉断面（Autucaria Section Eutacta）物种的出现，揭示了北半球分布比以前更加广泛。Stockey，RA和GW Rothwell。2020.南洋杉冠群的多样化：南洋杉的作用sp。十一月 在北半球白垩纪中部的南洋杉科植物中。美国植物学杂志https://doi.org/10.1002/ajb2.1505