During the early Eocene, Patagonia had highly diverse floras that are primarily known from compression and pollen fossils. Fossil wood studies from this epoch are scarce in the region and largely absent from the Laguna del Hunco flora, which has a highly diverse and excellently preserved compression assemblage. A collection of 26 conifer woods from the Laguna del Hunco fossil-lake beds (early Eocene, ca. 52 Ma) from central-western Patagonia was studied, of which 12 could be identified to genus. The dominant species is Phyllocladoxylon antarcticum, which has affinity with early-diverging Podocarpaceae such as Phyllocladus and Prumnnopitys. A single specimen of Protophyllocladoxylon francisiae probably represents an extinct group of Podocarpaceae. In addition, two taxonomic units of cf. Cupressinoxylon with putative affinity to Podocarpaceae were found. Diverse Podocarpaceae taxa consistent with the affinities of these woods were previously reported from vegetative and reproductive macrofossils as well as pollen grains from the same source unit. Some of the woods have galleries filled with frass. Distinct growth ring boundaries indicate seasonality, inferred to represent seasonal light availability. Growth ring widths suggest that the woods came from mature trees, whereas the widths and types of some rings denote near-uniform temperature and water availability conditions.

中文翻译：

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阿根廷中部巴塔哥尼亚 Laguna del Hunco 始新世早期的针叶树组合，以罗汉松科为主。


在始新世早期，巴塔哥尼亚拥有高度多样化的植物群，这些植物群主要是通过压缩化石和花粉化石而得知的。这一时期的木材化石研究在该地区很少，而且在 Laguna del Hunco 植物群中也基本上不存在，该植物群具有高度多样化且保存完好的压缩组合。研究人员对来自巴塔哥尼亚中西部 Laguna del Hunco 化石湖床（始新世早期，约 52 Ma）的 26 棵针叶树进行了研究，其中 12 棵可被鉴定为属。优势种是Phyllocladoxylon antarcticum，它与早期分化的罗汉松科如Phyllocladus和Prumnnopitys有亲缘关系。 Protophyllocladoxylon francisiae 的单个标本可能代表罗汉松科的一个已灭绝群体。此外，cf 的两个分类单位。发现了与罗汉松科具有推定亲和力的柏木。先前从同一来源单位的营养和生殖巨化石以及花粉粒中报道了与这些木材的亲缘关系一致的多种罗汉松科类群。有些树林里有长满了苔藓的长廊。明显的年轮边界表明季节性，推断代表季节性的光可用性。年轮宽度表明木材来自成熟的树木，而一些年轮的宽度和类型表明温度和水分可用性条件接近均匀。