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Abstract Detail



The Miocene vegetation and environment of Western North America

Manchester, Steven  [1], Rember, William [2].

Taxonomic composition of the Middle Miocene Clarkia flora of northern Idaho.

Compressed fossil plant remains of Middle Miocene age from the Racetrack and Emerald Creek localities near Clarkia, Idaho are well known for their abundance and high quality of preservation. Taxonomic composition has been studied over the past 40 years indicating a diverse coniferous and hardwood assemblage including some taxa that are confidently identified to extant genera, some clearly representing extinct genera, and still others whose affinities remain elusive. The megafossil flora shows peculiarities from site to site and different stratigraphic levels, but overlap in their main elements. We take this opportunity to list the plants that we consider to have been identified securely to the generic level.  A few ferns are present, notably Osmunda and Polypodium. Conifers include Amentotaxus, Calocedrus, Cathaya, Chamaecyparis, Cunninghamia, Glyptostrobus, Metasequoia, Pinus, Taxus and Thuja.  Angiosperms include Acer, Alnus, Carya, Castanea, Cercidiphyllum, Cladrastis, Engelhardia, Fagus, Fraxinus, Gleditsia, Gymnocladus, Hydrangea, Ilex, Lindera, Liquidambar, Liriodendron, Lithocarpus, Magnolia, Mezoneuron, Nyssa, Ostrya, Paliurus, Persea, Platanus, Prunus, Pterocarya, Rhamnus, Querecus, Salix, Smilax, Tetracentron, Tilia, Trochodendron, and Ulmus. In addition to the extant genera listed above, the extinct genera Pseudofagus, Nordenskioeldia and Ozakia are represented.  Among the extant genera, most are now exotic to the Pacific Northwest.  The Clarkia flora includes many elements suggesting that this region served as a mesic temperate refugium for genera that were later extinguished locally, but survive today elsewhere in the Northern Hemisphere.


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1 - University of Florida, Florida Museum of Natural History, PO Box 117800, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
2 - University of Idaho, Department of Geology, Moscow, ID, 83844, USA

Keywords:
Miocene
conifers
angiosperms
Paleobotany
refugium
Neogene flora
Clarkia flora.

Presentation Type: Symposium or Colloquium Presentation
Session: C2
Location: Salmon/Boise Centre
Date: Tuesday, July 29th, 2014
Time: 2:45 PM
Number: C2006
Abstract ID:607
Candidate for Awards:None


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