Zonal plant communities of the R ibesalbes‐ A lcora B asin ( L a R inconada mine, eastern S pain) during the early M iocene

A study of the late early M iocene ( R amblian?–lower A ragonian) phytocoenosis of the L a R inconada mine ( R ibesalbes‐ A lcora B asin, P rovince of C astellón, eastern S pain) led to the identification of 19 plant species showing mainly xeromorphic and/or sclerophyllous characteristics (three conifers and 16 dicotyledonous angiosperms). These plants mainly reflect the zonal vegetation that developed beyond the influence of the palaeolake known to have existed in the area. This vegetation was characterized by the presence of conifers, P inus hepios and J uniperus section S abina , associated with members of A nacardiaceae, C elastraceae, F abaceae and M yricaceae, taxa that would have formed an evergreen forest with a shrubby component. These communities also included species adapted to life in damper environments, including M ahonia bilinica , S ophora assimilis , aff. O rmosia sp., ‘ S apindus ’ falcifolius and aff. D ombeyopsis lobata . New information regarding the leaf characteristics of P istacia miocenica and S ophora assimilis is provided. The inferred zonal vegetation indicates the presence of evergreen–deciduous forests adapted to seasonally dry conditions ( PFT 9), similar to those described for other parts of the I berian P eninsula and elsewhere in E urope. The richness and diversity of the L a R inconada mine deposits provide insight into the zonal vegetation of the R ibesalbes‐ A lcora B asin, increasing our knowledge of the characteristics and evolution of the vegetation of south‐western E urope during the M iocene. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2013, 172 , 153–174.