Elaborating the fossil history of Banksiinae: A new species of Banksieaephyllum (Proteaceae) from the Late Paleocene of New South Wales

Abstract

Leaf fragments from Late Paleocene sediments at Cambalong Creek in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales are assigned to a new species of Banksieaephyllum Cookson and Duigan, B. praefastigatum. A study of leaf form and micromorphological characters of extant Banksieae was carried out to identify possible affinities for the new taxon, and a compendium of the architectural and micromorphological characters of leaves of all described species of Banksieaephyllum and Banksieaeformis Hill and Christophel is presented. Banksieaephyllum praefastigatum has characteristic stomatal and trichome features of both extinct and extant species of Banksiinae, but is dissimilar in leaf morphology to any ex..