Hiei is a beautiful plate from the Lower Jurassic with several fossil leaves of the species Podozamites distans. The longest leaf measures about 77 mm in length.
The species Podozamites distans has a long and intriguing systematic history. Originally, the taxon was described in 1838 by the Czech naturalist Karel Borivoj Presl as Zamites distans (Presl in Sternberg, 1838). In 1843, botanist Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Braun recognized that the name Zamites was reserved for cycad-like plants. To emphasize its coniferous characteristics, he renamed it Podozamites distans (Braun in Münster, 1843). Fossil evidence suggests that Podozamites distans may have shed its leaves seasonally, similar to modern Ginkgo or larch species (Wachtler, 2024). Its pollen and seed organs indicate a possible relationship to the genus Pseudolarix, which is found in present-day China (Nathorst, 1876).
Braun, C. F. W. 1843. Beiträge zur Urgeschichte der Pflanzen, Heft 1 (Programm zum Jahresbericht der k. Kreis-Landwirtschafts- und Gewerbschule zu Bayreuth). F. C. Birner, Bayreuth, 17 pp.
Nathorst, A.G., 1876: Bidrag till Sveriges fossila flora. Kungliga Svenska Vetenskapsakademiens Handlingar 14, 1–82
Presl, K. in Sternberg, C. von, 1838. Versuch einer geognostisch–botanischen Darstellung der Flora der Vorwelt. Leipzig & Prag. Part 8, vii+ 71 p.
Wachtler M., 2024. The Middle-Late Triassic Life of Madygen (Kyrgyzstan), 1-36; Dolomythos-Museum, In nichen, Italy |
