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Background  Even if they are considered the quintessential “living fossils”, the fossil record of the extant genera of the Cycadales is quite poor, and only extends as far back as the Cenozoic. This lack of data represents a huge hindrance for the reconstruction of the recent history of this important group. Among extant genera,  Bowenia  (or cuticles resembling those of extant  Bowenia ) has been recorded in sediments from the Late Cretaceous and the Eocene of Australia, but its phylogenetic placement and the inference from molecular dating still imply a long ghost lineage for this genus.    Results  We re-examine the fossil foliage  Almargemia incrassata  from the Lower Cretaceous Anfiteatro de Ticó Formation in Patagonia, Argentina, in the light of a comparative cuticular analysis of extant Zamiaceae .  We identify important differences with the other member of the genus, viz.  A. dentata,  and bring to light some interesting characters shared exclusively between  A. incrassata  and extant  Bowenia . We interpret our results to necessitate the erection of the new genus  Eobowenia  to accommodate the fossil leaf earlier assigned as  Almargemia incrassata . We then perfom phylogenetic analyses, including the first combined morphological and molecular analysis of the Cycadales, that indicate that the newly erected genus could be related to extant  Bowenia .    Conclusion    Eobowenia incrassata  could represent an important clue for the understanding of evolution and biogeography of the extant genus  Bowenia,  as the presence of  Eobowenia  in Patagonia is yet another piece of the biogeographic puzzle that links southern South America with Australasia.    Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12862-017-0943-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Eobowenia gen. nov. from the Early Cretaceous of Patagonia: indication for an early divergence of Bowenia?