WILDE, VOLKER*, HERBERT FRANKENHAEUSER, AND BIRGIT NICKEL. 1st and 3rd author: Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg, Palaeobotanik, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany, 2nd author: Naturhistorisches Museum Mainz/Landessammlungen fuer Naturkunde Rheinland-Pfalz, Reichklarastr. 10, 55116 Mainz, Germany. - A chloranthaceous inflorescence with pollen in situ from the Middle Eocene of Germany.
Some Middle Eocene localities in Germany (e.g. Geiseltal, Messel,
Eckfeld) have yielded a great number of exceptionally well preserved
plant remains such as leaves, seeds/fruits, flowers/inflorescences
with pollen in situ, and dispersed pollen. Combining the different
taphocoenoses, reconstruction of the minor-scale differentiation of
the Middle Eocene vegetation of Central Europe is possible to a
certain degree. A complex inflorescence of undoubtful chloranthaceous
affinity was recently found in Eckfeld. It is now covering a major gap
in the reliable fossil record of that primitive angiosperm family
which has been for the first time recorded even in the Lower
Cretaceous. Emmapollis is a genus for dispersed pollen which are well
known from the Central European Tertiary. Various botanical
interpretations have previously been offered for these quite
characteristic grains, already including chloranthaceous affinities.
The new inflorescence from Eckfeld is clearly showing Emmapollis-type
grains in-situ preserved within the anthers. This is now unequivocally
proving their chloranthaceous affinities. Therefore the new fossil my
be regarded as a missing link in the stratigraphic distribution of
Chloranthaceae, and in the assignment of a certain type of dispersed
pollen.
Key words: , Chloranthaceae, Eocene, inflorescence, paleobotany, pollen