Late Messinian Flora From The Post-Evaporitic Deposits Of The Piedmont Basin (Northwest Italy)
Author
Niccolini, Gabriele
Author
Martinetto, Edoardo
Author
Lanini, Benedetta
Author
Menichetti, Elena
Author
Fusco, Fabio
Author
Hakobyan, Elen
Author
Bertini, Adele
text
Fossil Imprint
2022
2022-08-26
78
1
189
216
http://dx.doi.org/10.37520/fi.2022.008
journal article
10.37520/fi.2022.008
2533-4069
7167815
cf.
Oleinites liguricus
M.
SACHSE
, 2001
Text-fig. 3a
, Pl. 3, Figs 8, 9
M a t e r i a l. The macrofossil material potentially belonging to
Oleaceae
is represented by about twenty leaves from the Ciabòt Cagna locality, stored at the MCEA.
R e m a r k s. The leaves occurring at Ciabòt Cagna (the commonest
type
at this site) are entire-margined and leathery, with brochidodromous venation. In general, even if we could not study the cuticle (and this is the main reason for using open nomenclature), their venation pattern agrees with that in
Oleinites liguricus
described by
Sachse (2001)
based on more fragmentary specimens, also from post-evaporitic sediments of the PB. The long, unwrinkled petiole preserved in
two specimens
from Ciabòt Cagna is important as a character indicating
Oleaceae
rather than the very similar
Fabaceae
; furthermore, there is no evidence that any of these common laminae may represent a leaflet (leaflet petiolules with prominent striations may indicate
Fabaceae
or
Connaraceae
;
Dilcher and Lott 2005
). Comparable leaves are produced by the extant plants
Chionanthus
and
Picconia
(AITON) DC.
, whereas affinity to
Fraxinus
,
Osmanthus
LOUR.
and
Phillyrea
can be excluded due to their toothed leaf margin.