Decaturospermum Manchester et P.R.Crane

Plant Fossil Names Registry Number: PFN003590

Act LSID: urn:lsid:plantfossilnames.org:act:3590

Authors: S. R. Manchester & P. R. Crane

Rank: genus

Reference for this name: Manchester, S. R. & Crane, P. R. (2026): Laurus macrocarpa Lesquereux from the mid- Cretaceous (Cenomanian) Dakota Formation is a chlamydospermous seed, not an angiosperm fruit. – Acta Palaeobotanica 66(1): 51–66.

Type

Original diagnosis/description

Seed orthotropous, ellipsoidal, with an outer covering (envelope) that is four-angled in transverse
section, with a smooth inner and outer surface, and that is formed by four equal-sized valves. Seed with a
distinct apical micropyle. Seed base with a swollen-cylindrical flange surrounding a swollen pad of tissue that
is traversed by four vascular bundles. From the base of the seed the vascular bundles curve gently outwards,
gradually becoming more widely separated, before curving inwards and becoming more closely spaced as they
approach the central seed cavity. Vascular bundles alternating with the four angles of the seed, aligned with
the center of each flat face. Outer covering (envelope) of the seed consisting of a decay-susceptible outer
layer, and a decay-resistant inner layer. Inner layer with a well-developed intricate system of anastomosing
longitudinal and transverse ridges toward the outside, smooth toward the inside.

Etymology

Reflecting the four-angled form of the seed.