Decaturospermum

Name

Decaturospermum

Rank

Genus

Authors (Pub.)

Manchester S. R. Crane P. R.  

Publication

Laurus macrocarpa Lesquereux from the mid-Cretaceous (Cenomanian) Dakota Formation, USA, is a chlamydospermous seed, not an angiosperm fruit [2026]

Journal

Acta Palaeobotanica

Volume

66

Issue

1

Page number

53

Year

2026

Parent Taxon

[Class] Gnetopsida

Fossil Status

seeds

Type

Decaturospermum macrocarpum

Diagnosis

Seed orthotropous, ellipsoidal, with an outer covering (envelope) that is four-angled in transverse section, with a smooth inner and outer surface that is formed by four equal-sized valves. Seed with a distinct apical micropyle. Seed base with a swollencylindrical flange surrounding a swollen pad of tissue that is traversed by four vascular bundles. From the base of the seed the vascular bundles curve gently outwards, gradually becoming more widely separated, before curving inwards and becoming more closely spaced as they approach the central seed cavity. Vascular bundles alternating with the four angles of the seed, aligned with the center of each flat face. Outer covering (envelope) of the seed consisting of a decay-susceptible outer layer, and a decay-resistant inner layer. Inner layer with a well-developed intricate system of anastomosing longitudinal and transverse ridges toward the outside, smooth toward the inside.