Winged fruits and associated leaves of Shorea (Dipterocarpaceae) from the Late Eocene of South China and their phytogeographic and paleoclimatic implications

Abstract

The discovery of dipterocarps indicates that they had arrived in tropical and humid South China by the Late Eocene. Dipterocarps including Shorea exhibit a wide range of physiological tolerance to climate; palynological analysis suggests an increase in aridity and seasonality in the Maoming Basin from the Late Eocene. Dipterocarps became adapted to this seasonal climate from the Late Eocene to Early Miocene, expanded northward in the climatic optimum of the Middle Miocene, and declined and gradually disappeared from the southeastern part of the continent from the Late Miocene.

A tropical forest of the middle Miocene of Fujian (SE China) reveals Sino-Indian biogeographic affinities

“…Dipterocarpus zhengae was also the first macrofossil record of Dipterocarpaceae in China (Shi and Li, 2010). Shorea is known from Shorea fujianensis Shi et al in the Fotan flora (Shi et al, 2014a(Shi et al, , 2014b, its only other known occurrence in China is Shorea maomingensis Feng et al recently described from the late Eocene of South China (Feng et al, 2013). However, with the exception of Boehmeria, all these elements occur in fossil floras of India (Table 1).…”

Eocene–early Oligocene climate and vegetation change in southern China: Evidence from the Maoming Basin

“…The earliest confirmed dipterocarp megaremains, represented by fossil leaves and fruits of Shorea maomingensis Feng, Kodrul et Jin (Fig. 9), are from the late Eocene of the Maoming Basin (Feng et al, 2013). The vast majority of these fossils come from the upper part of the Huangniuling Formation, while in the lower part of this formation they are of rare occurrence.…”

Late Eocene leaves of Nageia (section Dammaroideae) from Maoming Basin, South China and their implications on phytogeography

“…B , Geographic map indicating the location of the Maoming Basin, Guangdong, South China. Adapted from Feng et al, . C , Stratigraphic column of the Youganwo Formation and Huangniuling Formation, modified after Tatyana M. Kodrul's (Aleksandrova et al, ) stratigraphic column of the whole Maoming Basin, showing the lithological characters and the age of the two formations.…”