58 Benedict, JC, ML DeVore, and KB Pigg. 2011
Transcription
58 Benedict, JC, ML DeVore, and KB Pigg. 2011
Prunus and Oemleria (Rosaceae) Flowers from the Late Early Eocene Republic Flora of Northeastern Washington State, U.S.A. Author(s): John C. Benedict, Melanie L. DeVore, and Kathleen B. Pigg Reviewed work(s): Source: International Journal of Plant Sciences, Vol. 172, No. 7 (September 2011), pp. 948-958 Published by: The University of Chicago Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/660880 . Accessed: 21/06/2012 13:31 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. The University of Chicago Press is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to International Journal of Plant Sciences. http://www.jstor.org Int. J. Plant Sci. 172(7):948–958. 2011. Ó 2011 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved. 1058-5893/2011/17207-0010$15.00 DOI: 10.1086/660880 PRUNUS AND OEMLERIA (ROSACEAE) FLOWERS FROM THE LATE EARLY EOCENE REPUBLIC FLORA OF NORTHEASTERN WASHINGTON STATE, U.S.A. John C. Benedict,1 ,* Melanie L. DeVore,y and Kathleen B. Pigg* *School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, P.O. Box 874501, Tempe, Arizona 85287, U.S.A.; and yDepartment of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Georgia College and State University, Campus Box 081, Milledgeville, Georgia 31062, U.S.A. Two genera of Rosaceae are described from the latest early Eocene Republic flora of northeastern Washington State, United States. Prunus cathybrownae sp. nov. (Rosaceae: subfamily Spiraeoideae, tribe Amygdaleae sensu Potter et al.) is based on eight flowers, including one containing in situ pollen and two immature fruits. Flowers are actinomorphic, perigynous, and pentamerous, with a campanulate hypanthium bearing five sepals. The gynoecium is unicarpellate and consists of a distally flared, bilobed stigma; an elongate style; and an ellipsoid, bilaterally asymmetric ovary. Two whorls of stamens—an inner one in which stamens are reflexed and an outer whorl of extended stamens—are both inserted into the hypanthium. Pollen from the outer whorl is 20 mm in diameter and tricolporate with a striately ornamented exine; clusters of smaller, presumably immature grains 7 mm long and 4 mm wide lacking distinctive ornamentation were recovered from the inner whorl. Immature fruits differ from the flowers in either having a senescent style or lacking one entirely and having fewer remnants of perianth parts and a larger and more symmetrical ovary. A second flower, Oemleria janhartfordae sp. nov. (Rosaceae: subfamily Spiraeoideae, tribe Osmaronieae sensu Potter et al.) is actinomorphic and perigynous and has five free pistils that each resemble the solitary pistil of Prunus. These include a flattened, bilobed stigma and an ellipsoid, bilaterally asymmetric ovary. The fossil has the laterally fixed, elongate style characteristic of the genus. These fossils are the oldest known floral examples of these two genera and demonstrate that both Prunus and Oemleria were present in the latest early Eocene in western North America. The Okanogan Highlands floristic province provides the earliest fossil evidence to date for the first major radiation of the Rosaceae, an important mostly temperate, mostly Northern Hemisphere family. Keywords: Amygdaloideae, fossil flower, hypanthium, Okanogan Highlands, Osmaronieae, Amygdaleae. Introduction nectar glands that resemble those characteristic of many extant Prunus leaves (DeVore and Pigg 2007). Prunus first appears in the fossil record in the early Eocene in western North America and Europe and also has a distinct presence in the Holocene, where endocarps and pollen are often found within archeological settings (Anderson and Muller 1975; Pollmann et al. 2005). However, to date no fossil flowers of this genus have been described. Until recently, the oldest presumed record of Prunus reproductive structures was a report of endocarp casts from the Paleocene of western North America assigned to Prunus corrigus Brown (Brown 1962). Recently, these fossil fruits have been reinterpreted as members of the Icacinaceae (Pigg et al. 2008). A single endocarp from the lower Eocene of the Wilcox group of the southeastern United States was described as Prunus nabortensis Berry, and an associated flower type, Antholithes pruniformis Berry, was interpreted as being related to this fruit (Berry 1916, 1930). Both of these specimens are in need of restudy. The Eocene of northwestern North America currently provides our oldest reliable record of Prunus fruits. Permineralized endocarps are known from the latest early to earliest middle Eocene Princeton chert of central British Columbia, Canada (Cevallos-Ferriz and Stockey 1991) and the slightly younger Clarno Nut Beds of Oregon (Manchester 1994). Endocarps preserved mostly as casts have been reported from numerous Tertiary sites in Europe from the Eocene on (Kirch- The family Rosaceae has a good fossil record that extends from the early Eocene on in Europe and North America (Kirchheimer 1973; Mai 1984, 1995; DeVore and Pigg 2007). Although the record is predominantly of compressed leaves, fossil fruits, wood, and pollen attributed to the family are also known. The family is particularly well represented in the early Eocene Republic flora of northeastern Washington State and other Okanogan Highlands floras of central British Columbia (Wehr and Hopkins 1994; Greenwood et al. 2005). More than a dozen rosaceous genera are represented in these mostly temperate ‘‘upland’’ floras, including extant genera, forms similar but not identical to extant genera, and others that are completely extinct (Wehr and Hopkins 1994; DeVore and Pigg 2007). Perhaps the most frequently encountered leaf type in the flora belongs to the genus Prunus L. These leaves show a range of variability that has yet to be described in detail; however, four to five different types were informally recognized by J. Wolfe (W. Wehr, Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, personal communication, 2000). Some bear 1 Author for correspondence; e-mail: [email protected]. Manuscript received December 2010; revised manuscript received May 2011. 948 BENEDICT ET AL.—FOSSIL PRUNUS FLOWERS heimer 1973; Mai 1984, 1995; Collinson et al. 1993). Rosaceous wood with the characteristic features of Prunus, including traumatic resin ducts, is known from Clarno, the Princeton chert, and the Eocene of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming (Wheeler et al. 1978; Cevallos-Ferriz and Stockey 1990; Wheeler and Manchester 2002). Stratigraphically younger occurrences of fossil rosaceous wood have been reviewed (Wheeler and Manchester 2002; Wheeler and Dillhoff 2009). Rosaceous fossil pollen accepted by Muller (1981) has been described from the Oligocene and lower Miocene of Cameroon (Salard-Cheboldaeff 1978), the upper Miocene of northwest Borneo (Anderson and Muller 1975), the Pliocene of Germany (Menke 1976), and the Pliocene of the Netherlands (Zagwijn 1960). Earlier occurrences are less substantiated, although Taylor (1990) notes an occurrence in the Eocene of California (Frederiksen 1983), and Zetter et al. (1999) tentatively assign grains from the Eocene of Argentina to the family. In the Okanogan Highlands, Rosaceae has been identified in a preliminary same-grain study of the Princeton chert (Zetter 2004) as well as in pollen profiles based on light microscopy (LM) alone (Dillhoff et al. 2005; Greenwood et al. 2005; Moss et al. 2005). To date, the only floral remains of Rosaceae known from the Okanogan Highlands are the permineralized flowers of Paleorosa similkameenensis Basinger that occur in the Princeton chert (Basinger 1976; Cevallos-Ferriz et al. 1993). Paleorosa is an extinct genus that combines traditional characters delimiting the two traditional subfamilies Spiraeoideae and Maloideae. The genus was assigned to Spiraeoideae on the basis of having a follicle as its fruit type; however, similarities to Maloideae were noted in floral morphology, seed vasculature, and pollen morphology (Cevallos-Ferriz et al. 1993). Its strongest similarities to an extant genus were noted to be with Pyracantha Roemer. In this report, we describe Prunus cathybrownae Benedict, DeVore, & Pigg, sp. nov. (Rosaceae: subfamily Spiraeoideae, tribe Amygdaleae sensu Potter et al. 2007), the first reliable Prunus flowers and young fruits to be recognized in the Tertiary record. The species is based on eight specimens of laterally compressed flowers, one of which contains in situ pollen, and two young fruits. Specimens of P. cathybrownae provide critical floral characters previously unknown from the fossil record that place these flowers confidently with the genus and thereby provide a point of reference for its diversification. A second rosaceous fossil flower from Republic demonstrates the characteristic features of the monotypic Oemleria cerasiformis (Torr. & A. Gray) Landon known as the osoberry or flowering plum (Stein 2008). Oemleria janhartfordae Benedict, DeVore, & Pigg, sp. nov. (Rosaceae: subfamily Spiraeoideae, tribe Osmaronieae sensu Potter et al. 2007) is described from a single distinctive flower with five free carpels that each have characters similar to Prunus, including a flattened bilobed stigma; elongate laterally fixed style; and an ellipsoid, bilaterally asymmetric ovary. Today this monospecific genus is endemic to the Pacific Northwest, with a range from northern California to southwestern British Columbia (Pojar and MacKinnon 2004; Stein 2008). These fossils provide the first evidence of diagnostic floral characters that clearly demonstrate that these two genera were present in the latest early Eocene of western North America. They doc- 949 ument further details of mode and tempo of the diversification of the Rosaceae, an important mostly temperate, mostly Northern Hemisphere family (Hutchinson 1964; Heywood 1993). Material and Methods Fossil flowers are preserved as coalified compressions in the Republic flora of Republic (Ferry Co.), northeastern Washington State, United States, where they occur in a light gray lacustrine shale. All Prunus specimens and the Oemleria flower were collected from the Boot Hill locality, a site where both researchers and the public have collected steadily for more than 20 yr. The fossiliferous horizon occurs within the Tom Thumb Member of the Klondike Mountain Formation. Dating by 40Ar-39Ar dating listed in an abstract by Wolfe et al. (2003) gives an age of 49:42 6 0:54 Ma, which is considered late early Eocene (see Greenwood et al. 2005). Flower and fruit specimens were photographed with LM. Fragments of anthers from both the inner and the outer whorls of the holotype flower R2 (SR 96-11-47AB) were removed. Anther fragments from the inner whorl yielded clumps containing many very small grains. These were coated with ;20 nm of gold coating, mounted on stubs, and viewed on a Leica-Cambridge (Structure Probe, Westchester, PA) stereoscan 360FE SEM at 10 kV. Anthers from the outer whorl contained fewer, larger pollen grains that were treated with hydrofluoric acid and isolated by heavy liquid separation using zinc chloride. Extant specimens of Prunus flowers were dissected and photographed with LM. Fossil specimens and photographs are housed at the Stonerose Interpretive Center, Republic, Washington, and extant comparative material is housed in the Paleobotanical Collections, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe. Systematics of Prunus cathybrownae Class—Magnoliopsida Subclass—Rosidae Order—Rosales Family—Rosaceae Juss. Subfamily—Spiraeoideae C. Agardh Tribe—Amygdaleae Juss. Genus—Prunus L. Prunus Type Species—Prunus domestica Linn. B.H. 1:609 Species—Prunus cathybrownae Benedict, DeVore, & Pigg, sp. nov. Species diagnosis. Flowers with pedicels 3–8 (up to 15) mm long (X ¼ 6:15, n ¼ 10) 3 0.5–1.0 mm wide (X ¼ 0:7, n ¼ 10); actinomorphic, perigynous, pentamerous; hypanthium campanulate, 3–4 mm long (X ¼ 3:2, n ¼ 7) 3 4–6 mm wide (X ¼ 4:29, n ¼ 7), length : width ratio 0.75 : 1, hypanthial rim with inserted sepals and stamens; sepals five, 1 mm long 3 1 mm wide, ovate with pointed apical tip; gynoecium unicarpellate, stigma distally flared, 0.5–1 mm wide, bilobed; style elongate, 1–4 mm long 3 0.5–1.0 mm wide; ovary 1.5–3.0 950 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PLANT SCIENCES long (X ¼ 2:6, n ¼ 6) 3 1–2 mm wide (X ¼ 1:83, n ¼ 6), ellipsoid, bilaterally asymmetric; produced in two whorls, inner whorl reflexed, outer whorl extended; anthers dorsifixed; mature pollen tricolporate, striate, 20 mm in diameter; immature fruits 4.5–5.0 mm long 3 3.0–3.5 mm wide with partially symmetrical ellipsoid ovary. Previous illustrations. DeVore and Pigg 2007, figures 1–4. Type locality. Boot Hill (University of Washington Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture locality B4131), Republic, Ferry County, Washington. Stratigraphy. Late early Eocene, Tom Thumb Member of the Klondike Mountain Formation; 49:42 6 0:54 Ma on the basis of 40Ar-39Ar dating (Wolfe et al. 2003; Greenwood et al. 2005). Holotype. R2, SR 96-11-47AB (figs. 1A, 3D, 5A, 5C– 5G), collected by a Stonerose staff member, housed at Stonerose Interpretive Center, Republic, Washington. Paratypes. Specimen and Stonerose collection number, followed by collector: R1, SR 05-05-06AB, A. H. Smith (figs. 1D, 2C, 2D, 3B, 3C); R7, SR 05-05-03, C. Backman (fig. 1G); R12, SR 96-09-09, D. Gibson (fig. 1I); R40, SR 08-0606AB, J. Shafer (figs. 1C, 2E, 3E); R41, SR 08-40-21AB, D. Marino and E. Bensing, (fig. 1F); R42, SR 09-09-25AB, M. Stevens (figs. 1K, 3H); R43, SR 09-09-12AB, C. Middleton (figs. 1J, 3G); R45, SR 09-09-19AB, J. Armstrong (not figured); and R60, SR 08-42-02AB, M. Jones (figs. 1E, 2A, 2F, 3F, 3I). All paratypes are housed at Stonerose Interpretive Center, Republic, Washington. Etymology. The species epithet cathybrownae is named in honor of three generations who bear this name: Catherine Louise Brown, Director of Stonerose Interpretive Center, Republic; her mother, Catherine Evelyn Brown, Republic, artist and enthusiastic supporter of Stonerose; and her daughter, Catherine Clementine Brown, special assistant at Stonerose. We honor their extraordinary dedication to the curation and study of Republic fossils through Stonerose Interpretive Center and its mission of community and educational outreach. Description The description is based on 10 laterally compressed specimens, eight of which are part-counterparts, while the remaining two are individuals. Eight of these are mature flowers with features remarkably similar to those of extant Prunus (fig. 1A–1I); two are immature fruits (fig. 1J, 1K). Flowers are actinomorphic, perigynous, and pentamerous and are characterized by a campanulate hypanthium (figs. 1C, 1F, 1G, 2A, 2E). Sepals and stamens are inserted along the apex of the hypanthial rim (fig. 2A, 2C–2F). The gynoecium is unicarpellate with a distally flared, bilobed stigma; elongate style; and an ellipsoid, bilaterally asymmetric ovary (fig. 3B). All specimens are pedicellate, with the pedicel ranging from 3 to 8 mm long (X ¼ 6:15, n ¼ 10) 3 0.5–1.0 mm wide (X ¼ 0:7, n ¼ 10), but are incomplete, and their entire lengths are unknown (fig. 1C, 1E, 1F). One small flower (fig. 1G) has a pedicel 15 mm long 3 1.0 mm wide. The campanulate hypanthium is 3–4 mm high and 4–6 mm across, with a length : width ratio of 0.75 : 1, and extends around the base of the gynoecium. In some specimens it is well preserved (figs. 1A, 1C, 1E–1G, 2A, 2E), while in others only remnants remain (figs. 1D, 1I, 2C, 2D). Sepals preserved in a few flowers are 1 mm long 3 1 mm wide and broadly ovate, with a pointed apical tip (fig. 2A, 2F). Although petals of various types are known in the Republic matrix, none have been found in attachment to P. cathybrownae flowers, suggesting that, as in extant Prunus, they fell off postanthesis. At the apical end of the gynoecium, the stigma is bilobed and up to 1.0 mm wide (fig. 3C–3E). It extends into an elongate style (figs. 1A, 1D–1G, 2D, 3B) that is typically 1–4 mm long (X ¼ 2:6, n ¼ 7) 3 0.2–1.0 mm wide (X ¼ 0:5, n ¼ 6), for a length : width ratio of 6.4 : 1. In one specimen, the style is notably shorter and thicker, measuring 2.0 mm long 3 0.8 mm wide (fig. 1C). In the flower specimens (figs. 1A, 1C–1E, 1G, 1I, 3B), the ovary is 1.5–3.0 mm long (X ¼ 2:6, n ¼ 6) 3 1–2 mm wide (X ¼ 1:8, n ¼ 6). Two specimens are of immature fruits. In contrast to the flowers, each has a larger and more symmetric ovary and fewer perianth parts. The ovary is 4.5 mm long 3 3.0 mm wide in one fruit (figs. 1J, 3F, 4D) and 5.0 mm long 3 3.5 mm wide in the other (fig. 1K). One shows the remnant of a style at the apex (figs. 1J, 3F, 4D), while in the other the style is lacking (figs. 1K, 3G). The androecium is characterized by around a dozen stamens borne in two whorls. In the outer whorl, stamens have filaments ;6 mm long extending apically above the gynoecium (figs. 1A, 1D–1F, 2A, 2C, 2D, 5A). In the inner whorl, stamens are reflexed and extend to the level of the style base. Some stamens of the inner whorl are arranged loosely to one another along the hypanthial rim, such that they superficially appear to be branched (figs. 1D, 2C), as in extant Prunus (figs. 1H, 2B). Anthers are 0.5 mm wide and dorsifixed (fig. 5A, 5C, 5F) and are similar to those of extant Prunus (fig. 5B). Two types of pollen have been found within the flowers. Clusters of small grains 7 mm long and 4 mm wide are found in the anthers of the inner whorl of reflexed stamens (fig. 5D, 5E). These grains have an exine with poorly defined ornamentation (fig. 5E). Mature rosaceous pollen was recovered from an anther of the outer whorl of stamens. As seen in LM, these grains are 20 mm in diameter and tricolporate, with a striate ornamentation with lumina around 1 mm across (fig. 5G–5H). Systematics of Oemleria janhartfordae Class—Magnoliopsida Subclass—Rosidae Order—Rosales Family—Rosaceae Subfamily—Spiraeoideae C. Agardh. Tribe—Osmaronieae Rydb. Genus—Oemleria Reichenb. Type Species—Oemleria cerasiformis (Torr. & A. Gray ex Hook. & Arn.) Landon Species—Oemleria janhartfordae Benedict, DeVore, & Pigg, sp. nov. Species diagnosis. Flower bractate, pedicellate, pedicel 11 mm long 3 1 mm wide; actinomorphic, perigynous; gynoecium Fig. 1 Fossil Prunus cathybrownae sp. nov. (A, C–G, I–K) and extant Prunus cerasus (B, H) for comparison. A, Holotype specimen. R2, SR 96-11-47A. B, Extant P. cerasus flower cut in longitudinal section. C, Flower with short, stout style and campanulate hypanthium. R40, SR 08-0606A. D, Flower showing a campanulate hypanthium with attached stamens. R41, SR 08-40-21A. E, Flower with well-preserved gynoecium, sepals, and filaments. R60, SR 08-42-02A. F, Flower with gynoecium, hypanthium, and attached perianth parts. R1, SR 05-05-06B. G, Small flower with long pedicel. R12, SR 05-05-03. H, Extant flower for comparison. Hypanthium has been removed from front of specimen. I, Flower with flared stigma, bent style, and remnants of perianth. R7, SR 96-09-04. J, Immature fruit. Note remnant of style (arrow). R43, SR 09-09-12A. K, Immature fruit lacking style. R42, SR 09-09-25B. Scale bars ¼ 3 mm. 952 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PLANT SCIENCES Fig. 2 Fossil Prunus cathybrownae sp. nov. (A, C–F) and extant Prunus cerasus (B) for comparison. A, Flower with sepals and stamens attached to hypanthium. R60, SR 08-42-02A. B, Extant P. cerasus flower for comparison. C, Flower with remnants of hypanthium at arrows. R1, SR 05-05-06A. D, Hypanthium and stamen attachment. R1, SR 05-05-06B. E, Flower with well-preserved campanulate hypanthium. R40, SR 0806-06A. F, Detail of A showing sepals. R60, SR 08-42-02A. Scale bars ¼ 2 mm (A–C, E), 1 mm (D, F). 11 mm long 3 6 mm wide; pistils 5, free, each with a flattened, bilobed stigma, style laterally fixed, elongate, 3 mm long 3 1 mm wide; ovary 5 mm long 3 3 mm wide, ellipsoid, bilaterally asymmetric; hypanthium surrounding base of the five carpels. Type locality. Boot Hill (University of Washington Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture locality B4131), Republic, Ferry County, Washington. Stratigraphy. Late early Eocene, Tom Thumb Member of the Klondike Mountain Formation; 49:42 6 0:54 Ma based on 40 Ar-39Ar dating (Wolfe et al. 2003; Greenwood et al. 2005). Holotype. R47, SR 08-42-15AB (fig. 6A, 6C–6F), collected by Stonerose staff, 2006; housed at Stonerose Interpretive Center, Republic, Washington. Etymology. The species epithet, janhartfordae, honors Jan Hartford of Republic, Washington, for her exceptional dedication to the collecting and study of the Republic flora and for developing the customized database Stonerose Strata, an innovative program that is essential to the workings of Stonerose Interpretive Center. Description Oemleria janhartfordae is based on a single part-counterpart flower specimen (fig. 6A, 6C–6F) and is quite similar to extant Oemleria (fig. 6B, 6G). The actinomorphic, perigynous flower is fractured longitudinally, and its gynoecium is 11 mm long 3 6 mm wide. It is borne on a pedicel 11 mm long 3 1 mm wide. On the pedicel, an abscission scar is evident, which shows that the flower was subtended by at least one bract (fig. 6A). The flower has five free pistils that are basally inserted on the pedicel (fig. 6A, 6C, 6D, 6F). Each bilaterally asymmetric ovary is around 5 mm long 3 3 mm wide, with a flattened bilobed stigma 1 mm wide and an elongate style 3 mm long 3 0.5 mm wide that is attached laterally to the ovary (fig. 6E, 6F). The five pistils are surrounded by an incompletely preserved hypanthium that covers the bottom half of the ovary wall. Androecia and petals are lacking; the flower is presumably postanthesis. General Discussion Identification of Republic Flowers The fossil flowers described in this report were identified to modern Prunus and Oemleria on the basis of highly characteristic floral features of these two genera. These fossils have floral structures that are consistent with not only those of the modern genera but also ones that are used, essentially, to identify the extant forms. In the case of Prunus, these features include the bilobed stigma, elongate style and asymmetric ovary, and the characteristic hypanthium (cf. fig. 1A, 1B, 1E; fig. 2A, 2B; fig. 3A, 3B). Oemleria is characterized by five free pistils that each individually resemble a single Prunus pistil (cf. fig. 6A, 6G; fig. 6B, 6C). In contrast, other rosaceous taxa in the Okanogan Highlands appear to have mosaic features of modern forms (e.g., Spiraea-like leaves) or to be completely extinct (e.g., Stonebergia; DeVore and Pigg 2007). In the most commonly recognized traditional classifications, Prunus and related genera are placed within Prunoideae sensu BENEDICT ET AL.—FOSSIL PRUNUS FLOWERS 953 Fig. 3 Fossil Prunus cathybrownae sp. nov. (B–I) and extant Prunus cerasus (A) for comparison. A, Extant gynoecium with flattened, bilobed stigma and elongate style. B, Gynoecium showing typical flattened, bilobed stigma; elongate style; and elliptical, bilaterally asymmetric ovary. R1, SR 05-05-06B. C, Detail of B showing stigma in lateral view showing bilobed shape. R1, SR 05-05-06B. D, Detail of holotype specimen showing lateral view of stigma. R2, SR 96-11-47A. E, Detail of fig. 1C showing top view of stigma with bilobed shape. R40, SR 08-06-06B. F, Ovary with preserved cellular detail. R60, SR 08-42-02A. G, Immature fruit showing remnant of style (arrow) and ovoid symmetric ovary. R43, SR 09-0912A. H, Immature fruit. R42, SR 09-09-25B. I, Detail of F showing surface of ovary wall. R60, SR 08-42-02A. Scale bars ¼ 2 mm (A, B), 1 mm (C–F), 3 mm (G, H), 0.25 mm (I). Rehder (¼Amygdaloideae sensu Takhtajan) on the basis of their fruit type, the drupe (Rehder 1940; Takhtajan 1997). Within this subfamily, there has been considerable variation in both number of taxa and taxonomic levels recognized. Up to around a dozen genera have been created by some authors, while others acknowledge a large genus, Prunus, along with several smaller genera, such as Maddenia, Prinsepia, Exochorda, and Oemleria (Takhtajan 1997; Potter et al. 2007). Characters uniting the traditional subfamily include white to pink flowers; a solitary, umbellate, or racemose inflorescence; 10 to many stamens; free carpels; an ovary with two ovules that develops into a drupe with one or, rarely, two seeds; and typically a stony endocarp (Rehder 1940). Prunus and its segregate genera are unipistillate, with the exception of Oemleria and Exchorda, which have five free pistils. Petals and sepals are typically present, unique, and five in number, with the exception of Maddenia, which has 10 tepals (Chin et al. 2010). Prinsepia can be distinguished from the other unipistillate genera by its lateral style (Rehder 1940). Phylogenies based on recent molecular studies differ considerably from traditional classifications throughout the Rosaceae (Kalkman 1988, 2004; Potter et al. 2007). In many cases, the traditional taxonomic units have been collapsed into larger groups. For example, Maddenia, once considered a distinctive genus on the basis of a uni- or bicarpellate gynoecium and 10 tepals, is now recognized as a member of Prunus and a part of the Laurocerasus-Padus clade (Lee and Wen 2001; Bortiri et al. 2006; Wen et al. 2008; for a discussion and taxonomic revisions, see Chin et al. 2010). Whereas the traditional classification relied heavily on inflorescence type, this character was not diagnostic of newly recognized clades (e.g., subgenera Laurocerasus and Padus, as described by Rehder 1940). Prunus cathybrownae Prunus cathybrownae conforms to Prunus on the basis of the following characters: a campanulate hypanthium, a single free carpel, five sepals, and at least a dozen stamens. Pistils 954 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PLANT SCIENCES Fig. 4 Line diagram showing gynoecia from several different developmental stages. A, Small flower illustrated in fig. 1G. Redrawn from R7, SR96-09-04. B, Flower in fig. 1D. Redrawn from R1, SR 0505-06A. C, Flower in fig. 1I. Redrawn from R12. D, Immature fruit in fig. 1J. Redrawn from R43, SR 09-09-12A. Scale bar ¼ 5 mm. are strikingly similar to those of extant Prunus in their morphological features, most notably the flattened, bilobed stigma; elongate style; and ellipsoid, bilaterally asymmetric ovary. On the basis of this characteristic shape of the ovary, it can be inferred that, as in extant Prunus, P. cathybrownae presumably produced two ovules, only one of which would develop into a mature seed (Sterling 1953). All of the eight flower specimens of P. cathybrownae are interpreted as being at postanthesis on the basis of the lack of petals; stamens that usually lack intact anthers; and the slightly swollen, bilaterally asymmetric ovary. In addition to size differences, variation in morphology suggests that several stages are present. Whereas most of the specimens have an upright style (fig. 1A, 1C–1G), in one the style is bent, suggesting the beginning of floral senescence, as seen in extant Prunus (fig. 1I, 1H). The formation of an abscission scar beneath the ovary as well as the absence of hypanthia in imma- ture fruits suggests that the hypanthium was deciduous (fig. 1J, 1K). Together the flower and the two individual fruit specimens are consistent in size with the rate of enlargement observed in extant Prunus flowers and young fruits from full bloom through early fruit initiation (Tukey and Young 1939). Features of the stamens also present details of several stages of floral development. One specimen demonstrates an inner whorl of reflexed stamens and an outer one of upright stamens, as noted in extant Prunus flowers (Evans and Dickinson 1999). The clusters of smaller pollen grains recovered from the inner whorl are interpreted as immature grains. Whether the exine ornamentation is lacking because of poor preservation or is simply not yet present at this developmental stage is unknown, but a similar situation was found in anatomically preserved flowers of Wehrwolfea allenbyensis (Sapindaceae), known from the contemporaneous Princeton chert (Erwin and Stockey 1990). The mature pollen found in the outer whorl of anthers in P. cathybrownae is tricolporate and has striate ornamentation typical of extant Prunus pollen (fig. 5G, 5H). This pollen falls within a size range of pollen known from extant Prunus, which can vary from tricolpate to tricolporate (Hebda and Chinnappa 1990). A recent study of character evolution within Prunus assessed the distribution of 25 morphological characters (Bortiri et al. 2006). Seven of these characters that refer to floral features can be compared with P. cathybrownae. Prunus cathybrownae is unicarpellate, with a deciduous, campanulate hypanthium. Sepals are less than half the length of the hypanthium. The calyx lobe margin is entire and lacks evidence of a well-developed indument. Flowers are small and, on the basis of one specimen with an elongate pedicel, suggest that the pedicel may have been longer than the fruit. At the least, fruits are not sessile. A comparison of the features of P. cathybrownae with the Bortiri et al. (2006) study shows that it has a combination of morphological characters representative of extant species that occupy basal positions in the genus. At the current time, it is difficult to resolve the position of P. cathybrownae within extant Prunus because many of the traditional characters used to classify subgenera and species have been found to be homoplastic (Shaw and Small 2004; Bortiri et al. 2006). Prunus leaves are also a relatively common component of the Republic flora (DeVore and Pigg 2007). Many are elliptic with a thin lamina and serrate margins with small, regular teeth, and they presumably were deciduous. These features are considered basal in the genus (Bortiri et al. 2006). The exact placement of P. cathybrownae within the genus Prunus cannot be determined; however, this combination of features seen in the flowers and associated leaves is consistent with the Republic form(s) of Prunus occupying a basal position in the genus. In addition to the fossil flowers, young fruits, and leaves of Prunus from Republic, remains of the genus are known from several other Eocene localities in western North America. Anatomically preserved endocarps have been described from the Princeton chert. These fruits are based on only a few specimens and were informally designated as types 1, 2, and 3 (Cevallos-Ferriz and Stockey 1991). They have the typical morphology and anatomical structure of Prunus fruits with variable distributions of sclereids and fibers, and they have similarities with the endocarps of the subgenera Prunus Koehne and Euprunus Koehne (Mai 1984; Cevallos-Ferriz BENEDICT ET AL.—FOSSIL PRUNUS FLOWERS 955 Fig. 5 Fossil Prunus cathybrownae sp. nov. (A, C–H), all from the holotype specimen (fig. 1A; SR 96-11-47A&B), and extant Prunus cerasus (B) and extant Prunus dulcis (H) for comparison. A, Androecium surrounding pistil. B, Extant flower showing dorsifixed anthers arranged toward the gynoecium. C, Dorsifixed anther from outer whorl of stamens. D, SEM of mass of immature pollen from anther of inner whorl. E, Detail of immature pollen grain. F, Stamen from inner whorl with dorsifixed anther recurving toward the gynoecium G, Pollen from anther of external whorl. H, Extant pollen for comparison. Scale bars ¼ 2 mm (A, B), 1 mm (C, F), 12 mm (D), 3 mm (E), 20 mm (G), 30 mm (H). and Stockey 1991). Cevallos-Ferriz and Stockey (1991) commented that it was difficult to demonstrate conclusively the relationships of the fossil endocarps to extant ones because specimens lacked some informative characters and because of the limited knowledge of variability among extant forms. Two species were described from the Clarno Nut Beds of Oregon (Manchester 1994), one of which, Prunus weinsteinii Manchester, was compared closely with type A from Princeton. The other species, Prunus olsoni Manchester, is similar to extant Prunus avicina (Manchester 1994). Prunus endocarps are also well represented in the fruit and seed floras of Europe from the Eoceneon, with fossils representing at least five subgenera of Prunus (Kirchheimer 1973; Mai 1984). To date, we have not identified Prunus endocarps from Republic. Woody twigs from the Princeton chert (Cevallos-Ferriz and Stockey 1990) and specimens representing the remains of larger trees at Clarno and Yellowstone (Wheeler et al. 1978; Wheeler and Manchester 2002) show the characteristic features of Prunus wood, including traumatic resin ducts. Oemleria janhartfordae In addition to reporting the first occurrence of Prunus flowers in the Tertiary, we now also recognize the first reliable evidence of Oemleria floral remains at Republic. To our knowledge, the only other fossil report of the genus (under Fig. 6 Oemleria janhartfordae sp. nov. flower (A, C–F) and extant Oemleria cerasiformis for comparison (B, G). A, Overview of flower with attached pedicel. Inset, detail of pedicel showing bract scar. R47, SR 08-42-15A. B, Extant O. cerasiformis for comparison. C, Detail of A showing two of the five pistils (arrows). D, Counterpart of A. R47, SR 08-42-15B. E, Detail of bilobed stigma from D. F, Detail of a single pistil from A showing lateral style. G, Extant O. cerasiformis flower postanthesis showing separate pistils, line of hypanthial dehiscence, and subtending floral bracts. B and G courtesy of G. D. Carr. Scale bars ¼ 5 mm (A–D, G), 1 mm (inset in A, E, F). BENEDICT ET AL.—FOSSIL PRUNUS FLOWERS its invalid generic name, Osmaronia) was described tentatively from a leaf compression in late Oligocene Creede flora of Colorado as Osmaronia? stewartiae (Landon 1975; Axelrod 1987; Schorn and Wolfe 1989). Today Oemleria is a monotypic genus endemic to western North America, with a range from the Pacific Coast to the Cascades from northern California to southwestern British Columbia (Stein 2008). Plants are dioecious and grow in alluvial or moist soil. It has been reported that this genus is restricted to a maritime climate (Antose and Allen 1990; Stein 2008). The occurrence of fossil Oemleria in the Republic flora provides evidence for its early presence in the Northwest. The geographic distribution of extant Oemleria has been intriguing to botanists interested in endemic genera. For example, Little (1971–1981), who compiled species distribution maps for the trees of North America, hypothesized that endemic forms were either (1) relicts of older genera that once had a wider range or (2) young genera that lacked a fossil record. Of the eight genera he recognized from coastal and subtropical zones of California, five belong to Rosaceae. Oemleria was of particular interest. Little (1983) speculated that Oemleria originated from Prunus, lacked a fossil record, and therefore must be ‘‘young.’’ With this report, we can now establish the presence of fossil flowers belonging to Oemleria co-occuring with those of Prunus in the latest early Eocene. Biogeographic Occurrences of Supertribe Kerriodae (Rosaceae) In the current classification of Rosaceae (Potter et al. 2007), supertribe Kerriodae comprises two tribes, Osmaro- 957 nieae and Kerrieae. Both of these tribes have fossil representatives at Republic, Oemleria and the genus Neviusia, previously described from One Mile Creek, British Columbia, and now also known from Republic (DeVore et al. 2004). Oemleria is distributed today on the West Coast of North America, while the other two genera in tribe Osmaronieae, Exochorda and Prinsepia, are Asian. Kerrieae also has a North American–Asian disjunct distribution today, with Kerria and Rhodotypus in Asia, Coloeogyne widespread in the American Southwest, and Neviusia disjunct between eastern and western North America (Shevock et al. 1992; DeVore et al. 2004). These newly described fossils plus previously known fossils from Republic and other Okanogan Highlands sites underscore the significance of this region as a center of rosaceous diversification in the Eocene. Acknowledgments We thank Catherine L. Brown and Karl E. Volkman, Stonerose Interpretive Center, for loaning us the specimens for study; Nathan D. 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