Wataria K.Terada et Mits.Suzuki

Plant Fossil Names Registry Number: PFN002694

Act LSID: urn:lsid:plantfossilnames.org:act:2694

Authors: K. Terada & M. Suzuki

Rank: genus

Reference: Terada, K. & Suzuki, M. (1998): Revision of the so-called ‘Reevesia’ fossil woods from the Tertiary in Japan – a proposal of the new genus Wataria (Sterculiaceae). – Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 103(3–4): 235–251., link

Page of description: 238

Original diagnosis/description

Wood distinctly ring porous with wide vessels at beginning of growth rings in cross section. Growth rings distinct. Wide vessels in early wood mostly solitary, round. Narrow vessels in late wood solitary, and in groups of 2–5 with vasicentric parenchyma; very thick-walled. Vessel elements short; perforation plates exclusively simple; intertracheary pitting alternate; helical thickenings absent; thin-walled tyloses often present in wide vessels; gum-like deposits rarely present in narrow vessels. Axial parenchyma abundant, apotracheal and para-tracheal; apotracheal in uni- or biseriate tangential bands alternating with 1–3 rows of fibers in latewood; paratracheal abundant, vasicentric forming 1–3-seriate sheath; conspicuously storied; fusiform and in strands of 2–10 cells or more; crystals absent. Rays heterocellular; uni- or multiseriate. Multiseriate rays 2–10-seriate, composed of tile cells and procumbent cells. Tile cells Pterospermum type or intermediate to the Durio type; brown-colored substances rarely observed in the tile cells; crystals rarely present.

Etymology

The genus Wataria is named for the late Dr. Shunji Watari for his pioneer work on this taxon.