Paradinandra
Encyclopedia
Paradinandra suecica is a species of fossil plant from the Cretaceous
of Sweden
. It is of uncertain placement within the order Ericales
, and was described in 2001.
), and were recovered by sieving sand and clay. The deposits are thought to be of Late Santonian
to Early Campanian
age, and are located in a former kaolin quarry
owned by Höganäs AB
near Näsum
, Skåne
, Sweden
. The specimens were described by Jürg Schöneberger and Else Marie Friis in 2001 in the American Journal of Botany
, and have been deposited at the Swedish Museum of Natural History
.
of five parts. The sepal
s are free, lanceolate, and have as obtuse tip. They bear trichome
s along the median vein, and become much thinner away from the thickened centre. The petal
s are thought to be fused together
, at least at their bases; they are shaped like a bishop's mitre
. Each flower has 15 stamen
s, which may also be united at the base, and taper towards the attachment of the anther. The filaments of the outer whorl of five stamens are 0.75 mm (0.0295275590551181 in) long, while those of the inner whorl are around either 0.45 mm (0.0177165354330709 in) or 0.55 mm (0.0216535433070866 in) long. This results in the anthers falling into three distinct layers in the bud
. It is not known whether the difference is retained on flowering. Pollen grains found associated with the flowers are 10 um long, and appear to be tricolpate
, which is a characteristic of the eudicots
. The gynoecium
bears three styles, and the ovules are curved.
, Schöneberger and Friis noted that the flowers had few features which would allow them to determine the relationships of Paradinandra to other plants. The stamen arrangement seen in Paradinandra and the curved ovules are both seen in various families within the Ericales
(sensu lato), and some families, such as Ternstroemiaceae, show both. This suggests that closest relatives of Paradinandra are found among the order Ericales, but the authors could not assign the fossil to any single family, and therefore assigned it incertae sedis
(of uncertain placement) within the order.
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
of Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. It is of uncertain placement within the order Ericales
Ericales
The Ericales are a large and diverse order of dicotyledons, including for example tea, persimmon, blueberry, Brazil nut, and azalea. The order includes trees and bushes, lianas and herbaceous plants. Together with ordinary autophytic plants, the Ericales include chlorophyll-deficient...
, and was described in 2001.
Biostratigraphy
The specimens of Paradinandra had been naturally fusanised (turned into charcoalCharcoal
Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
), and were recovered by sieving sand and clay. The deposits are thought to be of Late Santonian
Santonian
The Santonian is an age in the geologic timescale or a chronostratigraphic stage. It is a subdivision of the Late Cretaceous epoch or Upper Cretaceous series. It spans the time between 85.8 ± 0.7 mya and 83.5 ± 0.7 mya...
to Early Campanian
Campanian
The Campanian is, in the ICS' geologic timescale, the fifth of six ages of the Late Cretaceous epoch . The Campanian spans the time from 83.5 ± 0.7 Ma to 70.6 ± 0.6 Ma ...
age, and are located in a former kaolin quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
owned by Höganäs AB
Höganäs AB
Hoganas AB is a Swedish multinational which is the world's largest producer of powdered metals.-History:The company was founded in 1797 as a coal mine by Count Eric Ruuth. It also made refractory and salt glazed ceramics...
near Näsum
Näsum
Näsum is a locality situated in Bromölla Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 1,119 inhabitants in 2005....
, Skåne
Scania
Scania is the southernmost of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden, constituting a peninsula on the southern tip of the Scandinavian peninsula, and some adjacent islands. The modern administrative subdivision Skåne County is almost, but not totally, congruent with the...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. The specimens were described by Jürg Schöneberger and Else Marie Friis in 2001 in the American Journal of Botany
American Journal of Botany
The American Journal of Botany is a peer-reviewed scientific journal which includes research papers on all aspects of plant biology. It is published by the Botanical Society of America on a monthly basis since 1914....
, and have been deposited at the Swedish Museum of Natural History
Swedish Museum of Natural History
The Swedish Museum of Natural History , in Stockholm, is one of two major museums of natural history in Sweden, the other one being located in Gothenburg....
.
Description
The flowers of P. suecica are less than 3.5 millimetre (0.137795275590551 in) long, which is typical for fossil flowers from the Cretaceous. The flowers are organised into whorlsWhorl (botany)
In botany, a whorl is an arrangement of sepals, petals, leaves, or branches in which all the parts are attached at the same point and surround or wrap around the stem.There are four whorls in a general flower...
of five parts. The sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s are free, lanceolate, and have as obtuse tip. They bear trichome
Trichome
Trichomes are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants and certain protists. These are of diverse structure and function. Examples are hairs, glandular hairs, scales, and papillae.- Algal trichomes :...
s along the median vein, and become much thinner away from the thickened centre. The petal
Petal
Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They often are brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. Together, all of the petals of a flower are called a corolla. Petals are usually accompanied by another set of special leaves called sepals lying...
s are thought to be fused together
Sympetaly
' is the condition of some flowers in which the petals are fused together . in some of these flowers, like with Gentiana asclepiadea are only partially fused at the base, but in other flowers, such as Gentiana andrewsii, they are fully fused and never open...
, at least at their bases; they are shaped like a bishop's mitre
Mitre
The mitre , also spelled miter, is a type of headwear now known as the traditional, ceremonial head-dress of bishops and certain abbots in the Roman Catholic Church, as well as in the Anglican Communion, some Lutheran churches, and also bishops and certain other clergy in the Eastern Orthodox...
. Each flower has 15 stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s, which may also be united at the base, and taper towards the attachment of the anther. The filaments of the outer whorl of five stamens are 0.75 mm (0.0295275590551181 in) long, while those of the inner whorl are around either 0.45 mm (0.0177165354330709 in) or 0.55 mm (0.0216535433070866 in) long. This results in the anthers falling into three distinct layers in the bud
Bud
In botany, a bud is an undeveloped or embryonic shoot and normally occurs in the axil of a leaf or at the tip of the stem. Once formed, a bud may remain for some time in a dormant condition, or it may form a shoot immediately. Buds may be specialized to develop flowers or short shoots, or may have...
. It is not known whether the difference is retained on flowering. Pollen grains found associated with the flowers are 10 um long, and appear to be tricolpate
Tricolpate
Tricolpate refers to a subclassification of the "Eudicot" monophyletic group, the "true dicotyledons" Tricolpate refers to a subclassification of the "Eudicot" monophyletic group, the "true dicotyledons" Tricolpate refers to a subclassification of the "Eudicot" monophyletic group, the "true...
, which is a characteristic of the eudicots
Eudicots
Eudicots and Eudicotyledons are botanical terms introduced by Doyle & Hotton to refer to a monophyletic group of flowering plants that had been called tricolpates or non-Magnoliid dicots by previous authors...
. The gynoecium
Gynoecium
Gynoecium is most commonly used as a collective term for all carpels in a flower. A carpel is the ovule and seed producing reproductive organ in flowering plants. Carpels are derived from ovule-bearing leaves which evolved to form a closed structure containing the ovules...
bears three styles, and the ovules are curved.
Affinities
In their original descriptionSpecies description
A species description or type description is a formal description of a newly discovered species, usually in the form of a scientific paper. Its purpose is to give a clear description of a new species of organism and explain how it differs from species which have been described previously, or are...
, Schöneberger and Friis noted that the flowers had few features which would allow them to determine the relationships of Paradinandra to other plants. The stamen arrangement seen in Paradinandra and the curved ovules are both seen in various families within the Ericales
Ericales
The Ericales are a large and diverse order of dicotyledons, including for example tea, persimmon, blueberry, Brazil nut, and azalea. The order includes trees and bushes, lianas and herbaceous plants. Together with ordinary autophytic plants, the Ericales include chlorophyll-deficient...
(sensu lato), and some families, such as Ternstroemiaceae, show both. This suggests that closest relatives of Paradinandra are found among the order Ericales, but the authors could not assign the fossil to any single family, and therefore assigned it incertae sedis
Incertae sedis
, is a term used to define a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Uncertainty at specific taxonomic levels is attributed by , , and similar terms.-Examples:*The fossil plant Paradinandra suecica could not be assigned to any...
(of uncertain placement) within the order.