Fossil dicotyledonous woods from the Tertiary of Blue Nile Valley, Ethiopia

Abstract

Six species belonging to five dicotyledonous families have been described here from a collection of petrified woods made from the Tertiary (Mio-Pliocene) pyroclastic deposits of the basalt on the southern side of Canon in Blue Nile Valley. They are Mammeoxylon lanneoides Lemoigne emend. of Guttiferae, Cassinium ethiopicum sp. nov. of Leguminosae, Sapotoxylon multiporosum sp. nov. of Sapotaceae, Stereospermoxylon eoacuminatissimum gen. et sp. nov., S. grambasti sp. nov. of Bignoniaceae and Vitexoxylon africanum sp. nov. of Verbenaceae.