Alloephedra J.R.Tao et Y.Yang

Plant Fossil Names Registry Number: PFN001172

Act LSID: urn:lsid:plantfossilnames.org:act:1172

Authors: J. R. Tao & Y. Yang

Rank: genus

Reference: Tao, J.-R. & Yang, Y. (2003): Alloephedra xingxuei gen. et sp. nov., an Early Cretaceous member of Ephedraceae from Dalazi Formation in Yanji Basin, Jilin Province of China. – Acta Palaeontologica Sinica 42(2): 208–215., link

Page of description: 212

Type

Original diagnosis/description

Small herb-like shrubs, profusely ramified upward, stems and branches about 5.8–6 cm long (preserved parts). The stem is erect or inclined, and the branches are dichotomous and articulate. Nodes of stems and branchlets are not swollen; internodes are longitudinally striated, proximally longer, ca. 8–9 mm long, distally shorter, ca. 4 mm long, diameter ca. 1 mm, upwards thinner. Leaves are inserted at nodes and reduced to membranous sheaths, triangularly ovate, ca. 1 mm long. Cones are dioecious, and male cones are not preserved. Female cones terminate to the branchlets; young female cones are ovate, ca. 0. 8–1.2 mm long, each female cone bears ca. 2 pairs of decussate and opposite bracts, and each pair is connate at the lower half. Mature female cones bear paired and opposite seeds; the seeds are long and elliptic, ca. 4.5 mm long and 1.5 mm wide. A short and slightly curved micropylar tube is persistent at the top of seed.

Etymology

Allo- means different, -ephedra is the name of extant Ephedra; Alloephedra means that some characters of our new fossil plant are different from those of the living genus Ephedra, although both belong to the family Ephedraceae.