Hopenium tertiarum N.Awasthi, R.C.Mehrotra et Anum.Shukla

Plant Fossil Names Registry Number: PFN000263

Act LSID: urn:lsid:plantfossilnames.org:act:263

Authors: N. Awasthi, R. C. Mehrotra & A. Shukla

Rank: species

Reference: Awasthi, N., Mehrotra, R. C. & Shukla, A. (2018): Some new fossil woods from the Cuddalore Sandstone of south India. – The Palaeobotanist 67(1): 33–46., link

Page of description: 36

Illustrations or figures: pl. 1.1–5, pl. 2.1–5

Types

Original diagnosis/description

Wood diffuse–porous. Growth rings absent. Vessels small to medium, tangential diameter range 90–160 μm, mean 130 μm, mostly solitary, rarely in radial pairs, mostly oval in shape, sometimes compressed to various shapes, evenly distributed, occasionally tylosed; vessel elements range 440–580 μm, mean 513 μm, with oblique to horizontal ends, storied at places; perforations simple; intervessel pits poorly preserved, bordered, alternate, seemingly vestured. Vasicentric tracheids present. Axial parenchyma paratracheal and apotracheal, paratracheal parenchyma intermingled with vasicentric tracheids, forming 1–4 celled sheath around the vessels; apotracheal parenchyma diffuse and in the form of tangential bands enclosing gum canals; parenchyma strands storied; cells thin walled. Rays 1–4 (mostly 3–4) seriate, uniseriates rare, multiseriates up to 100 cells or > 2 mm high and 51–72 μm wide, heterocellular, crystalliferous upright cells interspersed among the procumbent cells all along the rays; tangential height of procumbent and upright or square cells 16–29 μm and 31–86 μm respectively. Fibres thick–walled and non–septate. Gum canals normal, vertical, mostly aligned in tangential rows and enclosed in parenchyma bands, sometimes solitary also, circular to oval, small to very small, 38–85 μm in diameter.

Stratigraphy

Neogene
Cuddalore Sandstone Formation, Late Miocene–early Pliocene

Locality

India
Murattandichavadi near Puducherry, Villupuram District, Tamil Nadu