Late palaeocene Cupressaceae macrofossils at Lake Bungarby, New South Wales

Abstract

Four species of conifer macrofossils are described from the Late Palaeocene Lake Bungarby sediments in southern New South Wales. Two are assigned to the Cupressaceae and are considered to represent new species of Libocedrus, L. acutifolius and L. obtusifolius, although it is recognised that both share some characters with Austrocedrus. Two other fossils are considered to have less certain affinities with the Cupressaceae, although both have cuticular micromorphology that contains synapomorphies for that family. Both are assigned to new genera. Bungarbia linifolius has entire, petiolate, univeined leaves that resemble Metasequoia leaves, although the cuticular morphology is very distinct from that genus. Unfortunately, the phyllotaxis of Bungarbia is unknown. Monarophyllum has leaves in apparently opposite pairs, with the leaves bilaterally flattened. This combination of phyllotaxis and leaf flattening is currently unknown in the Cupressaceae.