Abstract Detail

Recent Topics Posters

Burnett, Jamie K. [1], Tomescu, Alexandru M.F. [2].

Pinaceous wood from the Early Cretaceous of California (Lower Chickabally Member, Budden Canyon Formation, Barremian - early Aptian).

The Budden Canyon Formation is a Cretaceous unit that spans the Valanginian-Turonian interval (ca. 135-90 Ma ago) in the Klamath Mountains of California.  Although the unit is marine, it includes several plant-fossiliferous, near-shore sequences.  Richest plant fossil occurrences are concentrated in the Hauterivian-Aptian interval.  Previous work in the Budden Canyon Formation has documented a flora of >40 taxa comprising pteridophytes and seed plants.  Recent work in the Lower Chickabally Member (Barremian-early Aptian, ca. 120-125 Ma) of then Budden Canyon Formation at Ono, California, has revealed a rich anatomically preserved flora permineralized in marine carbonate concretions.  This material is dominated by conifers represented largely by woody fragments and foliage, as well as cones and dispersed seeds; large pieces of tree trunks are also present.  We characterize the anatomy of a coniferous trunk, 31 cm in diameter and 44 cm long.  The wood exhibits axial and radial resin canals with thick-walled epithelial cells, distinct growth rings, conspicuous early to latewood transition, and axial tracheids with polygonal cross section.  The radial walls of axial tracheids bear uniseriate and opposite biseriate pitting with no crassulae.  Rays are uniseriate with biseriate portions, 3 – 22 cells high, consisting of procumbent parenchyma and scarce ray tracheids.  Cross-fields have up to 4 taxodioid pits arranged in a row.  Numerous large traumatic resin canals form extensive tangential bands.  The axial and radial resin canals indicate pinaceous affinities for the Ono trunk.  However, several anatomical features make it different from most extant Pinaceae.  The specimen is most similar to Picea, from which it differs in the cross-field pitting.  Among fossil genera documented in the Cretaceous, the Ono wood is similar to Pinuxylon, Laricioxylon, and Piceoxylon, but is not entirely consistent with any of the three genera.  Pinaceous affinities of the Ono wood are consistent with the presence of pinaceous foliage at the locality.  The ovulate cone Pityostrobus californiensis Smith & Stockey previously documented in the Budden Canyon Formation indicates the presence of extinct pinaceous diversity, of which the Ono wood may be another representative.

Broader Impacts:

1 - 455 Union Street, Apt 139, Arcata, CA, 95521, USA
2 - Humboldt State University, Department of Biological Sciences, 1 Harpst Street, Arcata, California, 95521, USA

Keywords:
Cretaceous
California
Aptian
Barremian
fossil
Pinaceae
wood
permineralized
Anatomy
Conifer
Picea
Piceoxylon
Pinuxylon
Laricioxylon.

Presentation Type: Recent Topics Poster
Session: P
Location: Grand Salon A - D/Riverside Hilton
Date: Monday, July 29th, 2013
Time: 5:30 PM
Number: PRT024
Abstract ID:1317
Candidate for Awards:None