Epidermal Anatomy of Glyptostrobus Europaeus (Brongn.) Unger from The Late Oligocene of The Westerwald (Rhinelandpalatinate, W-Germany)

Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>Details of the epidermal anatomy of Glyptostrobus europaeus (BRONGN.) UNGER from the Late Oligocene locality Norken in the Westerwald (Rhineland-Palatinate, W-Germany) are documented and described by means of scanning electron microscopy of in situ cuticles. The taxon had a wide distribution over the entire Northern Hemisphere during the Oligocene and it is considered to represent the most common conifer during the Cenozoic of Europe, but cuticles from this taxon are rarely figured in the literature. The cuticles from Norken exhibit cellular patterns and details (e.g. of stomatal complexes) typical for taxodioid Cupressaceae. Anatomical observations are in close agreement with results for this taxon from other Central European localities. The in situ cuticles had already fragmented into very small pieces, and this explains why it was so far impossible to retrieve cuticles from this locality by means of standard cuticular analytic techniques.</jats:p>

Palaeobotanical experiences of plant diversity in deep time. 1: How well can we identify past plant diversity in the fossil record?

“…Such lakes are caused by phreatomagmatic explosions resulting from the interaction of erupting magma and water, and can occur almost anywhere within a landscape and thus may be surrounded by a different type of vegetation to that growing 18. adjacent to lakes formed in fluvio-lacustrine settings. For instance, the late Oligocene Norken fluvio-lacustrine deposits contain predominantly remains of riparian and swamp vegetation (Uhl et al 2018) but these are almost totally absent from the nearby, almost contemporary Enspel maar lake deposits (Köhler and Uhl 2014). Plant remains in such lakes also experience less hydro-mechanical stress due to water transport and so can preserve delicate plant structure such as flowers (e.g.…”