Premium
A New Infructescence of Angiosperms from the Early Cretaceous of China
Author(s) -
HAN Gang,
WANG Xin
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
acta geologica sinica ‐ english edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.444
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1755-6724
pISSN - 1000-9515
DOI - 10.1111/1755-6724.14591
Subject(s) - china , excellence , chinese academy of sciences , cretaceous , state (computer science) , key (lock) , library science , geography , paleontology , history , archaeology , geology , biology , political science , ecology , mathematics , computer science , law , algorithm
Angiosperms are the most diversified plant group in the current world. Studies on angiosperms, especially on their origin, evolution and systematics, are the major tasks and challenges for botanists. An increasing number of fossils from the Jurassic and Cretaceous have been interpreted as angiosperms, including Chaoyangia, Archaefructus, Sinocarpus, Callianthus, Liaoningfructus, Baicarpus and Neofructus from the Cretaceous of Liaoning, China, Schmeissneria from the Jurassic of northeastern China and southern Germany, Euanthus, Juraherba, Yuhania, Zhangwuia, Nanjinganthus from the Jurassic of China. These discoveries shed new light on the origin and early evolution of angiosperms. Liaoningfructus from the Yixian Formation was published as the earliest ascidiate fruit. Thereafter there is no further confirming publication. Here we report a new fossil plant Eofructus gen. nov, an infructescence including a central axis and five fruits that more or less resemble Liaoningfructus, from the Yixian Formation. Eofructus gen. nov reinforces the existence of ascidiate fruits in Early Cretaceous, updating the current understanding of early angiosperms.