ibclogo XVI International Botanical Congess


Abstract Number: 5261
Session = 15.7.4


LATE CRETACEOUS FOSSIL ANGIOSPERMS FROM EUROPE


Juerg Schoenenberger*, Kaj Raunsgaard Pedersen & Else Marie Friis*, *Dept. of Palaeobotany, Swedish Museum of Natural History, S-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden, Dept. of Geology, University of Aarhus, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark


The continuous recovery of well preserved angiosperm flowers, fruits and seeds from the Late Cretaceous of Sweden and Portugal provides increased knowledge on the broad systematic, structural and functional diversity of the angiosperms at that time. Together with comparable records from other parts of the world, these floras indicate that angiosperms had reached a high level of diversity at an early stage of their evolution. Flowers and floral organs were in general small and undifferentiated. Three- to 5-merous, polysymmetric, choripetalous forms with whorled phyllotaxis prevailed. Insertion of perianth organs ranged from hypo- to epigynous. Floral organization and construction indicate that biotic and abiotic pollination was present.


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