The Late Early Pleistocene Flora Of Oriolo, Faenza (Italy): Assembly Of The Modern Forest Biome Author Denk, Thomas Author Sami, Marco Author Teodoridis, Vasilis Author Martinetto, Edoardo text Fossil Imprint 2022 2022-08-26 78 1 217 262 http://dx.doi.org/10.37520/fi.2022.009 journal article 10.37520/fi.2022.009 2533-4069 7167867 Zelkova zelkovifolia (UNGER) BŮŽEK et KOTL., 1963 Text-figs 6m , 7a–d 1847 Ulmus zelkovifolia UNGER , p. 94 pro parte, pl. 24, figs 9–13, not fig. 8. 1963 Zelkova zelkovifolia (UNGER) BŮŽEK et KOTL. in Kotlaba, p. 59, pl. 3, figs 7, 8. M a t e r i a l. Oriolo MSF 633, 639, 675, 681?, 682-1, 683, 685?, 811, 812, 813, 814, 815, 816, 817?, 818, 819-1, 820, 850; Tebano MSF n.n.; Santa Lucia delle Spianate MSF n.n. D e s c r i p t i o n. Leaf, petiolate, lamina elliptical to ovate, lamina length 25–49 mm , width 16–25 mm , apex acute, base obtuse, sometimes slightly asymmetrical, margin serrate with coarse teeth (appearing crenate in case of blunt tooth apices), secondary venation craspedodromous, secondary veins commonly branching. R e m a r k s. The leaves of Oriolo are similar to both the modern Z . carpinifolia (PALLAS) K.KOCH, 1849 , ranging from Turkey to northern Iran , and to the narrowly endemic Z . sicula DI PASQ., GARFI et QUÉZEL, 1992 , native to small areas in Sicily. For example, the leaf figured in Text-fig. 7d matches well leaves of Z . carpinifolia , while the leaf in Text-fig. 7b closely resembles leaves of Z . sicula ( Denk and Grimm 2005 ) . This last fossil is extremely similar to two fossil leaves from Riano Romano, figured by Follieri et al. (1986) . Molecular data indicate that Z . sicula might be the result of a relatively recent hybridisation, with parents close to the ancestral species of Z . abelicea (LAM.) BOISS. (Crete) and the widespread Euxinian-Hyrcanian Z . carpinifolia ( Christe et al. 2014 , Rucinska 2012 ). Roiron (1983) referred Zelkova leaves of the Plio-Pleistocene of Crespià to the modern species Z . crenata SPACH., 1841 (= Z . carpinifolia ). Because the present leaves show a mosaic of characteristics typical of two modern species, we consider them to represent the fossil-taxon Z . zelkovifolia .