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Scutifolium jordanicum gen. et sp. nov. (Cabombaceae), an aquatic fossil plant from the Lower Cretaceous of Jordan, and the relationships of related leaf fossils to living genera¹

² Department of Biology, Indiana University Southeast, 4201 Grant Line Road, New Albany, Indiana 47150 USA ³ Department of Geology, State University of New York, New Paltz, New Paltz, New York, 12561 USA ⁴ Department of Geology, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan

ABSTRACT

A new species of aquatic plant, Scutifolium jordanicum gen. et sp. nov., Taylor, Brenner & Basha, is described from the Albian of Jordan. The leaves are microphyllous with a symmetrical, elliptical to suborbiculate shape, convex to rounded apex and base, and actinodromous to palinactinodromous primary venation. The peltate, centrally attached petioles are narrow, elongate, and alternately arranged on similarly sized stems. The leaves appear to be thick and have aerenchyma. Comparisons to plants with centrally peltate leaves and palmate venation and to aquatic plants with floating leaves suggest that S. jordanicum belongs to the Cabombaceae lineage within the Nymphaeales. Cladistic analysis including the fossil and living members of the Nymphaeales shows that the S. jordanicum is basal to the living members of the family and has unique characters not found in any living genera. This is the oldest evidence of the Cabombaceae from the Old World. Inclusion of two other Early Cretaceous peltate leaf fossils in the phylogenetic analysis indicates their affinities to Cabombaceae and that some of the shared derived characters for the living members are progressively acquired in the fossils. These data show the Cabombaceae were widespread in Gondwana and Laurasia by the mid-Cretaceous.

Key Words: Cabombaceae • fossil leaves • Lower Cretaceous • Nymphaeaceae • Nymphaeales • paleoherbs • phylogenetic relationships • water lilies

Received for publication 24 April 2007. Accepted for publication 14 January 2008.

FOOTNOTES

¹ The authors thank L. Hobson and A. H. Al-Hammad for their contributions in the field, and the Donors of the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund (ACS-PRF# 26217-GB8 to D.W.T.) and Chevron Oil Field Research Company (LH-2603 to D.W.T.) for partial support of this research.

⁵ Author for correspondence (e-mail: dwtaylo2{at}ius.edu)

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