The paleoflora of the Eocene Okanagan Highlands includes all plant and fungi fossils preserved in the Eocene Okanagan Highlands Lagerstätten. The highlands are a series of Early Eocene geological formations which span an 1,000 km (620 mi) transect of British Columbia, Canada and Washington state, United States and are known for the diverse and detailed plant fossils which represent an upland temperate ecosystem immediately after the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum, and before the increased cooling of the middle and late Eocene to Oligocene. The fossiliferous deposits of the region were noted as early as 1873, with small amounts of systematic work happening in the 1880-90s on British Columbian sites, and 1920-30s for Washington sites. A returned focus and more detailed descriptive work on the Okanagan Highlands sites revived in the 1970's. The noted richness of agricultural plant families in Republic and Princeton floras resulted in the term "Eocene orchards" being used for the paleofloras.
The Eocene Okanagan Highlands hosted a diverse mix of temperate and tropical paleobiotic elements, [1] with the forests having the first significant proportions of temperate plants in North America. [2] The paleobotanical community was a mixture of plants found in subtropical evergreen and temperate deciduous forests. [1] Included in the forest were a number of important modern temperate flowering plant families such as Betulaceae, Rosaceae, and Sapindaceae, plus the conifer family Pinaceae. Study of the deciduous plants from the highlands has documented the occurrence of heteromorphic leaves derived from sun versus shade conditions and long shoot or short shoot buds. [2] The paleobotanical community of the Republic area has been noted as the most diverse floral community of the Okanagan highlands, with some estimates ranging to over 68 families and 134 genera being present. [3] The noted richness of Rosaceae fossils along with other important agricultural plant families found in the Republic and Princeton floras, including the genera that contain modern apples, blackberries, cherries, and serviceberries resulted in Wes Wher and Donald Hopkins (1994) coining the term "Eocene orchards". [4] [5] Fossil evidence from both Sorbus/ Crataegus and Rhus leaves in the Republic sites indicate the area was a center for species overlap and active hybridization events. [2]
The majority of the lake deposits are compression fossils in lake bed sediments grouped informally into "Northern", "Central", and "Southern" sites. [6] The Northern sites are composed of unnamed Ootsa Group formations which outcrop as the "Driftwood shales" near Smithers, British Columbia, sites now considered lost in the Quesnel, British Columbia area, [7] and the " Horsefly shales", of an unnamed formation and unnamed group which outcrop around Horsefly, British Columbia. [6] The Central sites represent Kamloops Group formations with the McAbee Fossil Beds, Tranquille River site and Falkland site, all in the Tranquille Formation, the Quichena site and Stump Lake site in the Coldwater Beds and outcrops of the Chu Chua Formation near Barriere, British Columbia. The Southern sites include the Princeton Group Allenby Formation sites surrounding Princeton, British Columbia, such as "Nine Mile Creek", "One Mile Creek", "Pleasant Valley", "Thomas Ranch", "Vermilian Bluffs", and "Whipsaw Creek". The most southerly of the Okanagan Highlands lakes, the Klondike Mountain Formation in Northern Ferry County, Washington include the "Boot Hill", "Corner Lot", "Gold Mountain", "Knob Hill", and "Mount Elizabeth" localities. [6] Closely correlated with the Klondike Mountain Formation are the Penticton groups Kettle River, Marama and Marron Formations in the Boundary District along the Canada-United States border. [8]
There is debate as to the affiliation of the, now lost, Quesnel outcrops with the Greater Okanagan Highlands. Archibald et al. (2018) in the monograph overview of the Highlands Hymenoptera included them as part of the series. However the certainty for the placement was later questioned by Archibald and Cannings (2022) who opted to tentatively exclude Quesnel from the highlands while discussing the history of field collecting in the region. [7]
Additionally two important non-compression biotas are present in the Eocene Okanagan Highlands. A permineralized chert flora, the Princeton Chert is found along the Similkameen River interbedded with coal deposits of the Ashnola shale unit, Allenby Formation known for anatomically preserved plants. [9] In the Central sites, subbituminous coal of the Hat Creek Coal Formation around Hat Creek hosts an amber biota, the Hat Creek amber which preserves many small insects and plant fragments that would likely not be found in the compression biotas. [10] [11]
Two algae taxa of the protist order Ochrophyta have been described from the highlands, and are placed in the family Aulacoseiraceae, a member of the diatom order Bacillariophyceae,. [12] The third algae is identified as a living paleoendemic Mallomonas species now restricted to warmer climates in North America and Europe. [13]
Family | Genus | species | Sites | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aulacoseiraceae |
" Undescribed" [12] |
|
An
aulacoseiraceous
diatom |
||
† Eoseira |
|
||||
|
An
mallomonadaceous
synurid
algae |
A group of six mosses were described from the Allenby Formation by Kuc (1972,1974) representing the genera Ditrichites, Hypnites and Plagiopodopsis, with two species placed in the morphogenus Muscites. [15] [16] Further revision of the fossils was conducted by Milner (1980), who placed two species into the genus Plagiopodopsis and moved both species described as Palaeohypnum to other genera. [17] One further moss has been described from Horsefly, and placed in the living genus Aulacomnium by Janssens et al (1979). [18] Dillhoff et al. (2013) reference undescribed moss specimens from the Klondike Mountain Formation known from vegetative gametophytes, [19] and George Poinar, Jr. et al. (1999) illustrated an undescribed specimen of moss entombed in Hat Creek Amber. [10]
Family | Genus | species | Sites | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Amblystegiaceae | † Hypnites |
|
An
amblystegiaceous
moss, |
||
|
An
amblystegiaceous
moss |
||||
|
|||||
|
A
bartramiaceous
moss |
||||
|
|||||
Incertae sedis | † Muscites |
|
A moss of uncertain placement |
||
|
A moss of uncertain placement |
||||
Undescribed | Undescribed |
|
Undescribed moss compression specimens |
||
Undescribed [10] |
|
Undescribed moss amber specimens |
Both an undescribed member of the fossil quillwort genus Isoetites [21] and the spikemoss genus Selaginella [22] have been found in the Klondike Mountain Formation, while an additional fossil deemed Cf. Selaginella was later reported from the Allenby Formation. [19]
Family | Genus | species | Sites | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Undescribed [21] |
|
A
quillwort relative |
|||
Selaginellaceae |
Undescribed [22] |
|
A
spikemoss |
||
Undescribed [19] |
|
A
spikemoss from the Thomas Ranch site. |
Four species of ferns and fern relatives have been described from the compression biotas and an additional four compression taxa that have been tentatively identified to family or genus. A series of four additional ferns have been described from premineralized specimens in the Princeton Chert and a fifth taxon is identified to genus.
Family | Genus | species | Sites | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Athyriaceae |
|
||||
|
|||||
Blechnaceae |
|
||||
|
A
blechnacious fern |
||||
Undescribed [22] |
|
A possible
bladder fern relative. |
|||
Dennstaedtiaceae |
|
A
Hayscented fern |
|||
|
|||||
Equisetaceae |
|
A
scouring rush |
|||
|
A
scouring rush. |
||||
|
|||||
Undescribed [22] |
|
A
climbing fern. |
|||
|
An
osmundaceous fern |
||||
(?) Adiantum |
Undescribed [20] |
|
A possible
maidenhair fern |
||
Salviniaceae | Azolla |
|
A
mosquito fern, |
||
|
A
mosquito fern, |
||||
Undescribed [26] |
|
A
"watermoss" species. |
|||
Unidentified [39] |
|
A
northern beech fern species. |
Three major groups of gymnosperms are present in the Okanagan Highlands formations, with the most speciose being the pinophytes. The ginkgophytes are represented by two species of Ginkgo, while an undescribed Zamiaceae member is the sole cycadophyte.
Family | Genus | species | Sites | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Undescribed |
|
A
zamiaceous cycad. |
Family | Genus | Species | Sites | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ginkgoaceae | Ginkgo |
|
A
ginkgo, |
||
|
A ginkgo |
||||
|
A
ginkgo |
Family | Genus | Species | Sites | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Undescribed [41] |
|
A
Cunninghamia |
|||
Cupressoideae |
|
An
incense cedar |
|||
|
A
false cypress |
||||
† Cupressinocladus |
|
A Cupressoid foliage morphotaxon. |
|||
Undescribed [44] |
|
A
Cupressoid foliage morphotaxon. |
|||
Undescribed [33] |
|
A
juniper |
|||
|
An
arborvitae |
||||
Undescribed [41] |
|
An
incense cedar relative |
|||
|
A
Hiba relative |
||||
Sequoioideae | Metasequoia |
|
|||
† Metasequoia occidentalis [49] [35] [27] [50] [51] [37] [41] [20] [19] |
|
A
dawn redwood
|
|||
Undescribed [38] |
|
A
dawn redwood |
|||
Sequoia |
|
A
Redwood |
|||
|
|||||
Undescribed [26] |
|
A
Taiwania species |
|||
Taxodioideae |
|
A
sugi |
|||
Glyptostrobus |
|
||||
|
A
Chinese swamp cypress |
||||
Taxodium |
|
||||
|
A
bald cypress |
||||
Incertae sedis | † Cupressinoxylon |
|
A fossil
cupressaceous? wood |
||
|
A fossil
cupressaceous? wood |
Family | Genus | Species | Sites | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Abietoideae | Abies |
|
Oldest true fir described |
||
|
A
fir conescale morphospecies |
||||
|
A
true fir |
||||
Undescribed [38] |
|
A
Keteleeria species |
|||
Pseudolarix |
|
A
golden larch |
|||
|
A long bracted
golden larch |
||||
|
A
golden larch |
||||
|
A
hemlock |
||||
|
A Carbonized/petrified wood species |
||||
Piceoideae | Picea |
|
A spruce cone & needle species |
||
|
A
spruce needle species |
||||
|
A
spruce needle species |
||||
|
A
spruce |
||||
Pinoideae | Pinus |
|
A 2-needled Pine |
||
|
A 3-needled Pine |
||||
|
A basal
Pine, |
||||
|
A permineralized pinaceous wood, compression cone species |
||||
|
A permineralized pinaceous cone |
||||
|
|||||
|
A 3 needle pine, jr homoym to Pinus macrophylla Lindley 1839 |
||||
|
A pinaceous winged seed morphogenus |
||||
|
A pinaceous cone |
||||
|
A possible 4 needled pine |
||||
|
|||||
|
|||||
|
A
pine |
Name | Authority | Year | Family | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Undescribed [43] |
|
An umbrella pine species |
Name | Authority | Year | Family | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Taxaceae |
|
A
yew |
|||
|
A
yew |
||||
|
A
yew |
||||
|
A
yew |
||||
Undescribed [33] |
|
A
yew |
|||
Undescribed [33] |
|
A
plum-yew |
|||
|
A
plum-yew relative |
||||
Unidentified |
Unidentified [20] |
|
Cephalotaxaceous needles |
The basal angiosperms are represented by two Nymphaeales water-lily species Nuphar carlquistii [65] from the Republic and Princeton shales, plus Allenbya collinsonae from the Princeton Chert. [66] Wehr (1995) illustrated two fossils that were tentatively identified as fruits of the banana genus Ensete and the extinct myrtle genus Paleomyrtinaea respectively, [67] however further fossil finds resulted in the re-identification of the first as a N. carlquistii rhizome section, and the second is a seed mass from the same water-lily. [65]
Family | Genus | Species | Sites | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nelumbonaceae? | † Nelumbium |
|
Possible
lotus family leaves |
||
Unidentified [35] |
|
Fragmentary possible
lotus family leaves |
|||
Unidentified [20] |
|
Lotus leaves |
|||
Nymphaeaceae |
† Allenbya |
|
A
waterlily relative. |
||
|
A
waterlily, |
Family | Genus | species | Sites | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lauraceae |
Undescribed [33] |
|
A
spicewood species. |
||
Undescribed [27] |
|
Tentative identification based on 2 partial specimens |
|||
Undescribed [22] |
|
A
lauraceous form species. |
|||
Undescribed [22] |
|
A
stinkwood species. |
|||
|
A
Phoebe sp. |
||||
Sassafras |
|
A
sassafras |
|||
|
A
sassafras species |
||||
Unidentified |
Unidentified [20] |
|
Lauraceous leaves |
||
Unidentified [68] |
|
Lauraceous fruits |
|||
Magnoliaceae |
|
A Liriodendron-like wood. |
|||
|
Magnolia leaves |
||||
|
A lizard's-tail species |
||||
incertae sedis |
|
A flower of uncertain floral relationship, possibly of Magnoliid affinity |
|||
|
A possibly aquatic
magnoliopsid |
Family | Genus | species | Sites | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
An aquatic or emergent water-plantain |
||||
|
An onion relative |
||||
|
A Cape-pondweed pollen |
||||
Araceae |
|
An arum family member |
|||
|
|||||
† Uhlia |
|
||||
Undescribed [35] |
|
Sedge fruits |
|||
Undescribed |
|
grass family leaves of uncertain nature. |
|||
Unidescribed [35] |
|
A possible
Potamogeton species fruit. |
|||
Undescribed [22] |
|
A
greenbrier species. |
|||
|
A
cattail species. |
||||
|
A possible iridaceous pollen morphotype |
||||
Incertae sedis |
† Ethela |
|
A cyperaceous or juncaceous poalean monocot |
||
|
A lilialean genus of uncertain placement |
Family | Genus | species | Sites | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Undescribed [67] |
|
A
moonseed |
|||
Platanaceae |
|
A plane tree relative fruiting head. |
|||
† Langeria |
|
A
plane tree relative. |
|||
Undescribed [84] |
|
A
plane tree fruit taxon |
|||
† Macginitiea |
|
A plane tree relative |
|||
|
A
sycamore relative |
||||
Undescribed [85] |
|
A
sycamore stamen head |
|||
|
A
Clematis |
||||
Sabiaceae |
Undescribed [67] |
|
A
Meliosma species |
||
Undescribed [67] |
|
A
Sabia species |
|||
Undescribed [22] |
|
A
kadsura species. |
|||
Trochodendraceae |
|
A Trochodendrale |
|||
|
|||||
Tetracentron |
|
A
Trochodendrale, |
|||
Unidentified [20] |
|
Tetracentron leaves |
|||
Trochodendron |
|
A
Trochodendron |
|||
|
A
Trochodendron |
||||
Unidentified [20] |
|
Trochodendron fruits |
|||
|
A
trochodendroid of uncertain placement.
[87] |
||||
|
A
trochodendroid of uncertain placement.
[87] |
Family | Genus | species | Sites | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Undescribed [33] |
|
A
holly |
|||
Araliaceae |
Undescribed [41] |
|
A
spikenard species |
||
Undescribed [41] |
|
A
spikenard species foliage |
|||
Undescribed [41] |
|
A
spikenard species fruit |
|||
Undescribed |
Undescribed [84] |
|
A
catalpa family member |
||
|
A
dogwood species, |
||||
Unidentified |
|
A punitive persimmon relative. |
|||
Ericaceae |
|
A
madrone relative |
|||
|
A
Rhododendron |
||||
|
A genus close to
Rhododendron |
||||
|
An ericaceous leaf morphogenus |
||||
Undescribed [4] |
|
A
doghobble relative |
|||
Eucommiaceae | Eucommia |
|
A "hard rubber tree" fruit |
||
|
A "hard rubber tree" leaf |
||||
Undescribed [91] |
|
An
Aucuba |
|||
Hydrangeaceae |
Undescribed [4] |
|
A
Hydrangea. |
||
Undescribed [4] |
|
A
mock-orange |
|||
|
A
Phytocrene relative |
||||
Nyssaceae |
|
A tuplo relative. |
|||
† Tsukada |
|
A
dove-tree relative |
|||
Oleaceae | Fraxinus |
|
An ash species with notched samara apex. |
||
|
An ash species with rounded samara apex. |
||||
undescribed [33] |
|
A possible
ash relative. |
|||
|
A possible
Schoepfia relative, |
||||
Theaceae |
? Gordonia |
Undescribed [20] |
|
Possible
Gordonia fruits |
|
† Ternstroemites |
"Species A" [51] |
|
A
theaceous species similar to
Gordonia |
||
|
A
theaceous species similar to
Cleyera |
Family | Genus | species | Sites | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Undescribed [85] |
|
An
elaeocarpaceous fruit |
|||
Salicaceae | Populus |
|
A cottonwood leaf species |
||
|
cottonwood leaves and branches |
||||
Undescribed [41] |
|
A
willow relative |
|||
Salix |
|
||||
|
A willow leaf morphospecies |
||||
|
A willow fruit morphospecies |
||||
|
A
willow |
||||
Undescribed [35] |
|
A
soap berry leaf |
|||
Undescribed |
Undescribed [20] |
|
Possible
Salicaceous leaves |
Family | Genus | species | Sites | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Betulaceae |
† Alnites |
|
A betulaceous relative. |
||
Alnus |
|
An alder. |
|||
|
An
alder. |
||||
|
An alder. |
||||
|
An
alder. |
||||
|
An
alder species |
||||
Betula |
|
An birch species |
|||
|
Birch leaves and cones |
||||
|
A hornbeam |
||||
Corylus |
|
||||
|
A
hazel nut leaf morphospecies |
||||
Undescribed [33] |
|
A
hazel nut relative |
|||
† Palaeocarpinus |
|
An extinct coryloid relative |
|||
|
An extinct
coryloid relative. |
||||
|
An extinct coryloid relative |
||||
|
A
Palaeocarpinus species |
||||
|
A
hazel nut |
||||
Undescribed |
Undescribed [33] |
|
A
betulaceous taxon |
||
Undescribed [85] |
|
A
cannabaceous fruit |
|||
Fagaceae |
undescribed [33] |
|
An
fagaceous morphogenus |
||
Undescribed [37] |
|
An extinct
fagaceous leaf morphotype. |
|||
† Fagopsis |
|
Moved from Planera longifolia by Hollick ( 1909) |
|||
|
An extinct beech relative |
||||
undescribed [41] |
|
An extinct
beech relative |
|||
Fagus |
|
A beech |
|||
Undescribed [41] |
|
A beech |
|||
Quercus |
|
An oak leaf species |
|||
|
An
oak |
||||
undescribed [33] |
|
An
fagaceous morphogenus |
|||
Juglandaceae | Carya |
|
A punitive
hickory |
||
|
A punitive
hickory |
||||
Undescribed [26] |
|
A possible
hickory |
|||
|
A walnut family relative. |
||||
|
A
walnut family relative. |
||||
|
A
wingnut relative. |
||||
Undescribed |
Undescribed [20] |
|
Juglandaceous leaves |
||
Moraceae |
Undescribed [35] |
|
Fragmentary
fig? leaves |
||
Undescribed [4] |
|
A
mulberry, two types known. |
|||
Myricaceae | Comptonia |
|
A comptonia species |
||
|
A comptonia species | ||||
|
A
comptonia species |
||||
|
A
comptonia species |
||||
Myrica |
|
A bayberry species |
|||
Undescribed [35] |
|
A possible
bayberry |
|||
† Deviacer |
|
A
milkwort relative |
|||
Rhamnaceae |
Undescribed [35] |
|
A
ceanothus leaf |
||
Undescribed [35] |
|
A
Paliurus leaf |
|||
|
A buckthorn species. |
||||
Rosaceae |
Undescribed [4] |
|
A
service berry |
||
Crataegus |
|
A hawthorn leaf |
|||
|
A hawthorn fruit |
||||
|
A
hawthorn relative |
||||
Undescribed [20] |
|
Possible
oceanspray leaves |
|||
|
An
apple |
||||
|
A maloid species possibly
apple or
pear |
||||
Neviusia |
|
||||
Undescribed [4] |
|
A
snow-wreath |
|||
|
An Osoberry |
||||
|
A rose family flower |
||||
" Paraprunus" |
Undescribed [91] |
|
An amygdaloid leaf morphotaxon |
||
Photinia |
|
A Christmas-berry relative |
|||
Undescribed [33] |
|
A Christmas-berry relative |
|||
Undescribed [41] |
|
A possible
nine-bark |
|||
Prunus |
|
A prunoid wood. |
|||
|
A cherry flower |
||||
"Princeton chert species 1" [104] |
|
A
prunoid seed. |
|||
"Princeton chert species 2" [104] |
|
A
prunoid seed. |
|||
"Princeton chert species 3" [104] |
|
A
prunoid seed. |
|||
"Republic species 1" [51] |
|
A
prunoid leaf. |
|||
"Republic species 2" [51] |
|
A
prunoid leaf. |
|||
"Republic species 3" [51] |
|
A
prunoid leaf. |
|||
|
A
prunoid leaf. |
||||
|
Amygdaloid leaves and flowers of
prunoid affinity. |
||||
Undescribed [5] |
|
A
firethorn sp.
[5] |
|||
Undescribed [35] |
|
A
pear |
|||
Undescribed [5] |
|
A maloid species possibly
apple or
pear |
|||
|
A
blackberry |
||||
|
A punitive sorbus |
||||
|
A
rowan relative |
||||
|
A
bridal wreath |
||||
|
A sorbarieous genus |
Family | Genus | species | Sites | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Anacardiaceae | Rhus |
|
A
sumac |
||
|
A
sumac with leaflets on short petiolules |
||||
|
A
sumac with leaflets on short petiolules |
||||
|
A
sumac with sessile leaflets |
||||
Undescribed [33] |
|
A
sumac species |
|||
|
An extinct Bursera relative |
||||
Lythraceae | Decodon |
|
|||
Undescribed [41] |
|
A
swamp loosestrife |
|||
Malvaceae | Craigia |
|
A Craigia species |
||
Undescribed [84] |
|
A
Craigia species |
|||
† Florissantia |
|
A Florissantia species |
|||
Undescribed [26] |
|
A
Florissantia species |
|||
Undescribed [4] |
|
A
hibiscus |
|||
Undescribed [84] |
|
A
linden relative |
|||
Tilia |
|
A Linden |
|||
|
A
Linden relative |
||||
|
A Myrtaceous fruit |
||||
|
A leaf of simaroubaceous affinity. [55] |
||||
Sapindaceae | Acer |
|
single fruit missing a seed. |
||
|
A maple samara. |
||||
|
A maple samara morphospecies. |
||||
|
A maple samara morphospecies. |
||||
|
A maple samara morphospecies. |
||||
|
A maple samara morphospecies. |
||||
|
A maple leaf and samara species. |
||||
|
A maple samara morphospecies. |
||||
|
A maple samara morphospecies. |
||||
|
A maple samara morphospecies. |
||||
|
A maple leaf and samara species. |
||||
|
A maple samara morphospecies. |
||||
|
Maple leaves and seeds. |
||||
|
A
horse chestnut |
||||
† Bohlenia |
|
A soap berry genus |
|||
|
A
soap berry genus |
||||
Undescribed [33] |
|
A
soap berry genus |
|||
|
A Dipteronia species |
||||
Koelreuteria |
|
A Koelreuteria species |
|||
Undescribed [41] |
A Koelreuteria species |
||||
|
A possible dodonaecous soapberry family flower |
||||
|
A
sapindaceous species |
||||
Ulmaceae |
Undescribed [41] |
|
An elm relative |
||
† Ulminium |
|
An
elm wood species. |
|||
Ulmus |
|
An
elm |
|||
|
An elm |
||||
|
An elm wood species. |
||||
|
An elm wood species. |
||||
|
Elm leaves or fruits |
Family | Genus | species | Sites | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cercidiphyllaceae |
|
A
katsura with suggested affinity to †
Joffrea,
[41] |
|||
Unidentified |
|
A katsura relative with suggested affinity to † Joffrea or † Nyssydium [41] |
|||
Grossulariaceae | Ribes |
Undescribed [117] |
|
A
current fruit |
|
|
A
current |
||||
Hamamelidaceae | Corylopsis |
|
|||
Undescribed [33] |
|
A
winter-hazel |
|||
|
|||||
Iteaceae |
|
A
Virginia willow species |
|||
undescribed [20] |
|
A
Virginia willow-like leaf |
|||
Vitaceae |
|
A grape family fruit of uncertain generic placement [120] |
|||
incertae sedis |
"Type 1" [119] |
|
A
grape family fruit of uncertain generic placement |
||
"Type 2" [119] |
|
A
grape family fruit of uncertain generic placement |
|||
Unidentified |
Unidentified [33] |
|
Vitoideae leaves/seeds |
Family | Genus | species | Sites | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Undescribed [41] |
|
A leaf morphotype of uncertain affiliation |
|||
|
A winged fruit of unidentified affinities |
||||
† Chaneya |
|
A sapindalean flower of uncertain affiliations |
|||
† Eorhiza |
|
A semi-aquatic dicot of uncertain affinity. |
|||
|
A fruit of uncertain affiliation |
||||
|
A palynomorph uncertain affiliation |
||||
|
A flower of uncertain affiliation |
||||
|
A winged fruit of uncertain affinity |
||||
|
A samara of uncertain affinities. |
||||
|
An
incertae sedis angiosperm |
||||
† "Acer" negundifolium (Dawson) LaMotte ( 1952) [35] [55] |
|
Leaf fragments of a "problematic nature" |
A number of fungi have been preserved within the Princeton Chert, though only three have been formally described as of 2024. The first instance of ectomycorrhizae in the fossil record was reported by LePage et al (1997) who documented mycorrhizal rootlets associated with Pinus roots. [128]
Order | Genus | species | Sites | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
An ascomycetan fungus on the host palm Uhlia allenbyensis |
||||
undescribed [130] |
|
A
jahnulalean fungi. |
|||
Microascales |
undescribed [130] |
|
A
microascalean fungi. |
||
undescribed [130] |
|
A
microascalean fungi. |
|||
Pleosporales |
|
An
ascomycetan fungus |
|||
|
An
ascomycotan fungus |
||||
Undescribed |
Undescribed |
Undescribed [128] |
|
Ectomycorrhizae associated with
Pinus roots |
A number of taxa identified or described by Penhallow (1902, 1906, 1908) and Berry (1926) have not received much or any modern attention, resulting in uncertainty of taxon affiliation, identification, or synonymy. Many late 1800's to early 1900's identifications of Okanagan highlands fossils were made based on geologic age assumptions ranging between the Miocene to Pliocene, and often specimens were grouped into species bins for taxa first described from Europe.
Family | Species | Reporting Author | Sites | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adoxaceae |
†" Viburnum antiquum" (Newberry) Hollick [27] |
Berry, 1926 |
|
First named as a
viburnum leaf morphotype |
|
† Viburnum dentoni Lesquereux [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
A viburnum leaf morphotype |
||
Araliaceae |
Aralia acerifolia Lesquereux [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Fragmentary leaves. |
|
Aralia notata Lesquereux [59] [35] |
Penhallow, 1902 |
|
Fragmentary leaves. |
||
Betulaceae |
Alnus alaskana Newberry [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Fragmentary leaves |
|
Alnus carpinoides Lesquereux [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Fragmentary leaves |
||
Alnus serrulata fossilis Newberry [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Fragmentary leaves |
||
Betula angustifolia Newberry [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Leaves. |
||
Betula heterodonta Newberry [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Leaves and one possible cone. |
||
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Fragmetary leaves with cones. |
|||
Betula stevensoni Lesquereux [59] |
Penhallow, 1902 |
|
Fragmentary leaves |
||
Carpinus grandis Unger ex Heer |
Dawson, 1890 |
|
|||
Corylus americana walt [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
|||
Cercidiphyllaceae |
Dawson, 1879 |
|
A
katsura leaf morphotype
|
||
Jenkinsella arctica (Heer) Golovneva & Alekseev [27] [134] |
Berry, 1926 |
|
A
katsura like fruit morphospecies |
||
Cornaceae |
† Cornophyllum nebrascensis (Schimper) McIver & Basinger [35] [135] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
A punitive
dogwood relative |
|
† Cornus suborbifera Lesquereux? [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
A dogwood |
||
† Thuja interrupta Newberry [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Fort Union Formation, North Dakota |
||
Penhallow, 1907 |
|
A monocot of uncertain affinity |
|||
Andromeda delicatula Lesquereux [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Two Ericaceae? leaves |
||
Fagaceae |
† Castanea castanaefolia (Unger) Knowlton [59] |
Penhallow, 1902 |
|
Fragmentary leaves. |
|
† Castanea intermedia? Lesquereux [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Single fragmentary specimen |
||
† Castanopsis perplexa (Knowlton) Brown [55] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Single fragmentary specimen |
||
† Quercus castanopsis Newberry [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Fort Union Formation, Montana |
||
† Quercus consimilis Newberry [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Bridge Creek Flora, Orgeon |
||
† Quercus dallii Lesquereux [35] |
Dawson, 1891 |
|
Type locality Cook Inlet, Alaska |
||
† Quercus groenlandica Heer [27] |
Berry, 1926 |
|
Type locality Greenland |
||
† Quercus penhallowi Trelease [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Fort Union Formation, North Dakota |
||
† Ginkgo digitata (Brongn.) Heer [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
A ginkgo leaf mophospecies. |
||
Juglandaceae |
† Carya antiquorum Newberry [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
A Carya leaf morphospecies |
|
† Juglans nigella Heer [35] |
Dawson, 1876 |
|
Type locality Cook Inlet, Alaska |
||
† Juglans occidentalis Newberry [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Green River Formation, Wyoming |
||
† Juglans rhamnoides Lesquereux [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Evanston, Utah |
||
† Cinnamomum affine Lesquereux [35] |
Dawson, 1890 |
|
A cinnamon leaf morphospecies |
||
† Pterospermites alaskana Knowlton [27] |
Berry, 1926 |
|
Type locality
Keni Formation |
||
Moraceae |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality
Most Basin
Bílina
Czech Republic |
||
Ficus asiminaefolia Lesquereux |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality "Rock Corral", California |
||
Ficus decandolleana Heer |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Monod, Switzerland |
||
Ficus populina Heer |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Monod, Switzerland |
||
Ficus ungeri Lesquereux |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality
Green River Formation, Whyoming |
||
Musophyllum complicatum Lesquereux [35] [27] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
A monocot morphogenus |
||
Myricaceae |
† Comptonia dryandroides Unger [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
A Comptonia leaf morphospecies |
|
† Comptonia partita (Lesquereux) Berry [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
A
Comptonia leaf morphospecies |
||
† Myrica (?) personata Knowlton [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Fossil, Oregon |
||
† Onoclea hebridica (Forbes) Bell [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Isle of Mull, UK |
||
† Osmunda heeri Gaudin [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Rivaz, Switzerland |
||
† Pinus lardyana Heer [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Switzerland |
||
Poaceae |
† Phragmites alaskana Heer [27] |
Berry, 1926 |
|
A grass/sedge leaf morphogenus |
|
† Poacites tenuistriatus Heer [27] |
Berry, 1926 |
|
A grass/sedge leaf morphogenus |
||
Potamogeton (?) verticillatus Lesquereux [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Florissant, Colorado |
||
Rhamnaceae |
† Rhamnus belmontensis Knowlton & Cockerell [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Laramie, Colorado |
|
† Rhamnus eridani Unger [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Disco Island, Greenland, |
||
† Rhamnus gaudini Heer [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Switzerland, |
||
† Prunus (?) merriami Knowlton [35] [55] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Mascall Formation, Oregon |
||
† Zanthoxylum spireaefolium Lesquereux [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Florissant, Colorado |
||
Salicaceae |
† Populus cordata Newberry [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Fort Union Formation, Montana |
|
† Populus latior Braun [35] |
Dawson, 1879 |
|
Type locality Europe |
||
† Populus mutabilis crenata Heer [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Switzerland |
||
† Populus polymorpha Newberry [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Bridge Creek, Oregon |
||
† Populus zaddachi Heer [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Samland, Russia |
||
† Salix varians Goeppert [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Europe |
||
† Acer chaneyi Knowlton [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Mascall Formation, Oregon |
||
† Taxites olriki Heer [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Atanekerdluk, Greenland |
||
† Typha lesquereuxi Cockerell |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Florissant, Colorado |
||
Ulmaceae |
† Planera lingualis Knowlton & Cockerell [35] [55] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Fort Union Formation, Wyoming |
|
† Ulmus minuta Goeppert [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Germany |
||
† Ulmus speciosa Newberry [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Bridge Creek, Oregon |
||
† Ulmus tenuinervis Lesquereux [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Middle Park, Colorado |
||
Vitaceae |
† Vitis alaskana Cockerell? [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Admiralty Inlet, Alaska |
|
† Vitis olriki Heer? [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Atanekerdluk, Greenland |
||
Incertae sedis |
† "Acer" grahamensis Knowlton & Cockerell [27] |
Berry, 1926 |
|
Type locality Port Graham, Alaska |
|
† Leguminosites arachioides Lesquereux [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality is Evanston, Wyoming |
{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link)
The paleoflora of the Eocene Okanagan Highlands includes all plant and fungi fossils preserved in the Eocene Okanagan Highlands Lagerstätten. The highlands are a series of Early Eocene geological formations which span an 1,000 km (620 mi) transect of British Columbia, Canada and Washington state, United States and are known for the diverse and detailed plant fossils which represent an upland temperate ecosystem immediately after the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum, and before the increased cooling of the middle and late Eocene to Oligocene. The fossiliferous deposits of the region were noted as early as 1873, with small amounts of systematic work happening in the 1880-90s on British Columbian sites, and 1920-30s for Washington sites. A returned focus and more detailed descriptive work on the Okanagan Highlands sites revived in the 1970's. The noted richness of agricultural plant families in Republic and Princeton floras resulted in the term "Eocene orchards" being used for the paleofloras.
The Eocene Okanagan Highlands hosted a diverse mix of temperate and tropical paleobiotic elements, [1] with the forests having the first significant proportions of temperate plants in North America. [2] The paleobotanical community was a mixture of plants found in subtropical evergreen and temperate deciduous forests. [1] Included in the forest were a number of important modern temperate flowering plant families such as Betulaceae, Rosaceae, and Sapindaceae, plus the conifer family Pinaceae. Study of the deciduous plants from the highlands has documented the occurrence of heteromorphic leaves derived from sun versus shade conditions and long shoot or short shoot buds. [2] The paleobotanical community of the Republic area has been noted as the most diverse floral community of the Okanagan highlands, with some estimates ranging to over 68 families and 134 genera being present. [3] The noted richness of Rosaceae fossils along with other important agricultural plant families found in the Republic and Princeton floras, including the genera that contain modern apples, blackberries, cherries, and serviceberries resulted in Wes Wher and Donald Hopkins (1994) coining the term "Eocene orchards". [4] [5] Fossil evidence from both Sorbus/ Crataegus and Rhus leaves in the Republic sites indicate the area was a center for species overlap and active hybridization events. [2]
The majority of the lake deposits are compression fossils in lake bed sediments grouped informally into "Northern", "Central", and "Southern" sites. [6] The Northern sites are composed of unnamed Ootsa Group formations which outcrop as the "Driftwood shales" near Smithers, British Columbia, sites now considered lost in the Quesnel, British Columbia area, [7] and the " Horsefly shales", of an unnamed formation and unnamed group which outcrop around Horsefly, British Columbia. [6] The Central sites represent Kamloops Group formations with the McAbee Fossil Beds, Tranquille River site and Falkland site, all in the Tranquille Formation, the Quichena site and Stump Lake site in the Coldwater Beds and outcrops of the Chu Chua Formation near Barriere, British Columbia. The Southern sites include the Princeton Group Allenby Formation sites surrounding Princeton, British Columbia, such as "Nine Mile Creek", "One Mile Creek", "Pleasant Valley", "Thomas Ranch", "Vermilian Bluffs", and "Whipsaw Creek". The most southerly of the Okanagan Highlands lakes, the Klondike Mountain Formation in Northern Ferry County, Washington include the "Boot Hill", "Corner Lot", "Gold Mountain", "Knob Hill", and "Mount Elizabeth" localities. [6] Closely correlated with the Klondike Mountain Formation are the Penticton groups Kettle River, Marama and Marron Formations in the Boundary District along the Canada-United States border. [8]
There is debate as to the affiliation of the, now lost, Quesnel outcrops with the Greater Okanagan Highlands. Archibald et al. (2018) in the monograph overview of the Highlands Hymenoptera included them as part of the series. However the certainty for the placement was later questioned by Archibald and Cannings (2022) who opted to tentatively exclude Quesnel from the highlands while discussing the history of field collecting in the region. [7]
Additionally two important non-compression biotas are present in the Eocene Okanagan Highlands. A permineralized chert flora, the Princeton Chert is found along the Similkameen River interbedded with coal deposits of the Ashnola shale unit, Allenby Formation known for anatomically preserved plants. [9] In the Central sites, subbituminous coal of the Hat Creek Coal Formation around Hat Creek hosts an amber biota, the Hat Creek amber which preserves many small insects and plant fragments that would likely not be found in the compression biotas. [10] [11]
Two algae taxa of the protist order Ochrophyta have been described from the highlands, and are placed in the family Aulacoseiraceae, a member of the diatom order Bacillariophyceae,. [12] The third algae is identified as a living paleoendemic Mallomonas species now restricted to warmer climates in North America and Europe. [13]
Family | Genus | species | Sites | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aulacoseiraceae |
" Undescribed" [12] |
|
An
aulacoseiraceous
diatom |
||
† Eoseira |
|
||||
|
An
mallomonadaceous
synurid
algae |
A group of six mosses were described from the Allenby Formation by Kuc (1972,1974) representing the genera Ditrichites, Hypnites and Plagiopodopsis, with two species placed in the morphogenus Muscites. [15] [16] Further revision of the fossils was conducted by Milner (1980), who placed two species into the genus Plagiopodopsis and moved both species described as Palaeohypnum to other genera. [17] One further moss has been described from Horsefly, and placed in the living genus Aulacomnium by Janssens et al (1979). [18] Dillhoff et al. (2013) reference undescribed moss specimens from the Klondike Mountain Formation known from vegetative gametophytes, [19] and George Poinar, Jr. et al. (1999) illustrated an undescribed specimen of moss entombed in Hat Creek Amber. [10]
Family | Genus | species | Sites | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Amblystegiaceae | † Hypnites |
|
An
amblystegiaceous
moss, |
||
|
An
amblystegiaceous
moss |
||||
|
|||||
|
A
bartramiaceous
moss |
||||
|
|||||
Incertae sedis | † Muscites |
|
A moss of uncertain placement |
||
|
A moss of uncertain placement |
||||
Undescribed | Undescribed |
|
Undescribed moss compression specimens |
||
Undescribed [10] |
|
Undescribed moss amber specimens |
Both an undescribed member of the fossil quillwort genus Isoetites [21] and the spikemoss genus Selaginella [22] have been found in the Klondike Mountain Formation, while an additional fossil deemed Cf. Selaginella was later reported from the Allenby Formation. [19]
Family | Genus | species | Sites | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Undescribed [21] |
|
A
quillwort relative |
|||
Selaginellaceae |
Undescribed [22] |
|
A
spikemoss |
||
Undescribed [19] |
|
A
spikemoss from the Thomas Ranch site. |
Four species of ferns and fern relatives have been described from the compression biotas and an additional four compression taxa that have been tentatively identified to family or genus. A series of four additional ferns have been described from premineralized specimens in the Princeton Chert and a fifth taxon is identified to genus.
Family | Genus | species | Sites | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Athyriaceae |
|
||||
|
|||||
Blechnaceae |
|
||||
|
A
blechnacious fern |
||||
Undescribed [22] |
|
A possible
bladder fern relative. |
|||
Dennstaedtiaceae |
|
A
Hayscented fern |
|||
|
|||||
Equisetaceae |
|
A
scouring rush |
|||
|
A
scouring rush. |
||||
|
|||||
Undescribed [22] |
|
A
climbing fern. |
|||
|
An
osmundaceous fern |
||||
(?) Adiantum |
Undescribed [20] |
|
A possible
maidenhair fern |
||
Salviniaceae | Azolla |
|
A
mosquito fern, |
||
|
A
mosquito fern, |
||||
Undescribed [26] |
|
A
"watermoss" species. |
|||
Unidentified [39] |
|
A
northern beech fern species. |
Three major groups of gymnosperms are present in the Okanagan Highlands formations, with the most speciose being the pinophytes. The ginkgophytes are represented by two species of Ginkgo, while an undescribed Zamiaceae member is the sole cycadophyte.
Family | Genus | species | Sites | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Undescribed |
|
A
zamiaceous cycad. |
Family | Genus | Species | Sites | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ginkgoaceae | Ginkgo |
|
A
ginkgo, |
||
|
A ginkgo |
||||
|
A
ginkgo |
Family | Genus | Species | Sites | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Undescribed [41] |
|
A
Cunninghamia |
|||
Cupressoideae |
|
An
incense cedar |
|||
|
A
false cypress |
||||
† Cupressinocladus |
|
A Cupressoid foliage morphotaxon. |
|||
Undescribed [44] |
|
A
Cupressoid foliage morphotaxon. |
|||
Undescribed [33] |
|
A
juniper |
|||
|
An
arborvitae |
||||
Undescribed [41] |
|
An
incense cedar relative |
|||
|
A
Hiba relative |
||||
Sequoioideae | Metasequoia |
|
|||
† Metasequoia occidentalis [49] [35] [27] [50] [51] [37] [41] [20] [19] |
|
A
dawn redwood
|
|||
Undescribed [38] |
|
A
dawn redwood |
|||
Sequoia |
|
A
Redwood |
|||
|
|||||
Undescribed [26] |
|
A
Taiwania species |
|||
Taxodioideae |
|
A
sugi |
|||
Glyptostrobus |
|
||||
|
A
Chinese swamp cypress |
||||
Taxodium |
|
||||
|
A
bald cypress |
||||
Incertae sedis | † Cupressinoxylon |
|
A fossil
cupressaceous? wood |
||
|
A fossil
cupressaceous? wood |
Family | Genus | Species | Sites | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Abietoideae | Abies |
|
Oldest true fir described |
||
|
A
fir conescale morphospecies |
||||
|
A
true fir |
||||
Undescribed [38] |
|
A
Keteleeria species |
|||
Pseudolarix |
|
A
golden larch |
|||
|
A long bracted
golden larch |
||||
|
A
golden larch |
||||
|
A
hemlock |
||||
|
A Carbonized/petrified wood species |
||||
Piceoideae | Picea |
|
A spruce cone & needle species |
||
|
A
spruce needle species |
||||
|
A
spruce needle species |
||||
|
A
spruce |
||||
Pinoideae | Pinus |
|
A 2-needled Pine |
||
|
A 3-needled Pine |
||||
|
A basal
Pine, |
||||
|
A permineralized pinaceous wood, compression cone species |
||||
|
A permineralized pinaceous cone |
||||
|
|||||
|
A 3 needle pine, jr homoym to Pinus macrophylla Lindley 1839 |
||||
|
A pinaceous winged seed morphogenus |
||||
|
A pinaceous cone |
||||
|
A possible 4 needled pine |
||||
|
|||||
|
|||||
|
A
pine |
Name | Authority | Year | Family | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Undescribed [43] |
|
An umbrella pine species |
Name | Authority | Year | Family | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Taxaceae |
|
A
yew |
|||
|
A
yew |
||||
|
A
yew |
||||
|
A
yew |
||||
Undescribed [33] |
|
A
yew |
|||
Undescribed [33] |
|
A
plum-yew |
|||
|
A
plum-yew relative |
||||
Unidentified |
Unidentified [20] |
|
Cephalotaxaceous needles |
The basal angiosperms are represented by two Nymphaeales water-lily species Nuphar carlquistii [65] from the Republic and Princeton shales, plus Allenbya collinsonae from the Princeton Chert. [66] Wehr (1995) illustrated two fossils that were tentatively identified as fruits of the banana genus Ensete and the extinct myrtle genus Paleomyrtinaea respectively, [67] however further fossil finds resulted in the re-identification of the first as a N. carlquistii rhizome section, and the second is a seed mass from the same water-lily. [65]
Family | Genus | Species | Sites | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nelumbonaceae? | † Nelumbium |
|
Possible
lotus family leaves |
||
Unidentified [35] |
|
Fragmentary possible
lotus family leaves |
|||
Unidentified [20] |
|
Lotus leaves |
|||
Nymphaeaceae |
† Allenbya |
|
A
waterlily relative. |
||
|
A
waterlily, |
Family | Genus | species | Sites | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lauraceae |
Undescribed [33] |
|
A
spicewood species. |
||
Undescribed [27] |
|
Tentative identification based on 2 partial specimens |
|||
Undescribed [22] |
|
A
lauraceous form species. |
|||
Undescribed [22] |
|
A
stinkwood species. |
|||
|
A
Phoebe sp. |
||||
Sassafras |
|
A
sassafras |
|||
|
A
sassafras species |
||||
Unidentified |
Unidentified [20] |
|
Lauraceous leaves |
||
Unidentified [68] |
|
Lauraceous fruits |
|||
Magnoliaceae |
|
A Liriodendron-like wood. |
|||
|
Magnolia leaves |
||||
|
A lizard's-tail species |
||||
incertae sedis |
|
A flower of uncertain floral relationship, possibly of Magnoliid affinity |
|||
|
A possibly aquatic
magnoliopsid |
Family | Genus | species | Sites | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
An aquatic or emergent water-plantain |
||||
|
An onion relative |
||||
|
A Cape-pondweed pollen |
||||
Araceae |
|
An arum family member |
|||
|
|||||
† Uhlia |
|
||||
Undescribed [35] |
|
Sedge fruits |
|||
Undescribed |
|
grass family leaves of uncertain nature. |
|||
Unidescribed [35] |
|
A possible
Potamogeton species fruit. |
|||
Undescribed [22] |
|
A
greenbrier species. |
|||
|
A
cattail species. |
||||
|
A possible iridaceous pollen morphotype |
||||
Incertae sedis |
† Ethela |
|
A cyperaceous or juncaceous poalean monocot |
||
|
A lilialean genus of uncertain placement |
Family | Genus | species | Sites | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Undescribed [67] |
|
A
moonseed |
|||
Platanaceae |
|
A plane tree relative fruiting head. |
|||
† Langeria |
|
A
plane tree relative. |
|||
Undescribed [84] |
|
A
plane tree fruit taxon |
|||
† Macginitiea |
|
A plane tree relative |
|||
|
A
sycamore relative |
||||
Undescribed [85] |
|
A
sycamore stamen head |
|||
|
A
Clematis |
||||
Sabiaceae |
Undescribed [67] |
|
A
Meliosma species |
||
Undescribed [67] |
|
A
Sabia species |
|||
Undescribed [22] |
|
A
kadsura species. |
|||
Trochodendraceae |
|
A Trochodendrale |
|||
|
|||||
Tetracentron |
|
A
Trochodendrale, |
|||
Unidentified [20] |
|
Tetracentron leaves |
|||
Trochodendron |
|
A
Trochodendron |
|||
|
A
Trochodendron |
||||
Unidentified [20] |
|
Trochodendron fruits |
|||
|
A
trochodendroid of uncertain placement.
[87] |
||||
|
A
trochodendroid of uncertain placement.
[87] |
Family | Genus | species | Sites | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Undescribed [33] |
|
A
holly |
|||
Araliaceae |
Undescribed [41] |
|
A
spikenard species |
||
Undescribed [41] |
|
A
spikenard species foliage |
|||
Undescribed [41] |
|
A
spikenard species fruit |
|||
Undescribed |
Undescribed [84] |
|
A
catalpa family member |
||
|
A
dogwood species, |
||||
Unidentified |
|
A punitive persimmon relative. |
|||
Ericaceae |
|
A
madrone relative |
|||
|
A
Rhododendron |
||||
|
A genus close to
Rhododendron |
||||
|
An ericaceous leaf morphogenus |
||||
Undescribed [4] |
|
A
doghobble relative |
|||
Eucommiaceae | Eucommia |
|
A "hard rubber tree" fruit |
||
|
A "hard rubber tree" leaf |
||||
Undescribed [91] |
|
An
Aucuba |
|||
Hydrangeaceae |
Undescribed [4] |
|
A
Hydrangea. |
||
Undescribed [4] |
|
A
mock-orange |
|||
|
A
Phytocrene relative |
||||
Nyssaceae |
|
A tuplo relative. |
|||
† Tsukada |
|
A
dove-tree relative |
|||
Oleaceae | Fraxinus |
|
An ash species with notched samara apex. |
||
|
An ash species with rounded samara apex. |
||||
undescribed [33] |
|
A possible
ash relative. |
|||
|
A possible
Schoepfia relative, |
||||
Theaceae |
? Gordonia |
Undescribed [20] |
|
Possible
Gordonia fruits |
|
† Ternstroemites |
"Species A" [51] |
|
A
theaceous species similar to
Gordonia |
||
|
A
theaceous species similar to
Cleyera |
Family | Genus | species | Sites | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Undescribed [85] |
|
An
elaeocarpaceous fruit |
|||
Salicaceae | Populus |
|
A cottonwood leaf species |
||
|
cottonwood leaves and branches |
||||
Undescribed [41] |
|
A
willow relative |
|||
Salix |
|
||||
|
A willow leaf morphospecies |
||||
|
A willow fruit morphospecies |
||||
|
A
willow |
||||
Undescribed [35] |
|
A
soap berry leaf |
|||
Undescribed |
Undescribed [20] |
|
Possible
Salicaceous leaves |
Family | Genus | species | Sites | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Betulaceae |
† Alnites |
|
A betulaceous relative. |
||
Alnus |
|
An alder. |
|||
|
An
alder. |
||||
|
An alder. |
||||
|
An
alder. |
||||
|
An
alder species |
||||
Betula |
|
An birch species |
|||
|
Birch leaves and cones |
||||
|
A hornbeam |
||||
Corylus |
|
||||
|
A
hazel nut leaf morphospecies |
||||
Undescribed [33] |
|
A
hazel nut relative |
|||
† Palaeocarpinus |
|
An extinct coryloid relative |
|||
|
An extinct
coryloid relative. |
||||
|
An extinct coryloid relative |
||||
|
A
Palaeocarpinus species |
||||
|
A
hazel nut |
||||
Undescribed |
Undescribed [33] |
|
A
betulaceous taxon |
||
Undescribed [85] |
|
A
cannabaceous fruit |
|||
Fagaceae |
undescribed [33] |
|
An
fagaceous morphogenus |
||
Undescribed [37] |
|
An extinct
fagaceous leaf morphotype. |
|||
† Fagopsis |
|
Moved from Planera longifolia by Hollick ( 1909) |
|||
|
An extinct beech relative |
||||
undescribed [41] |
|
An extinct
beech relative |
|||
Fagus |
|
A beech |
|||
Undescribed [41] |
|
A beech |
|||
Quercus |
|
An oak leaf species |
|||
|
An
oak |
||||
undescribed [33] |
|
An
fagaceous morphogenus |
|||
Juglandaceae | Carya |
|
A punitive
hickory |
||
|
A punitive
hickory |
||||
Undescribed [26] |
|
A possible
hickory |
|||
|
A walnut family relative. |
||||
|
A
walnut family relative. |
||||
|
A
wingnut relative. |
||||
Undescribed |
Undescribed [20] |
|
Juglandaceous leaves |
||
Moraceae |
Undescribed [35] |
|
Fragmentary
fig? leaves |
||
Undescribed [4] |
|
A
mulberry, two types known. |
|||
Myricaceae | Comptonia |
|
A comptonia species |
||
|
A comptonia species | ||||
|
A
comptonia species |
||||
|
A
comptonia species |
||||
Myrica |
|
A bayberry species |
|||
Undescribed [35] |
|
A possible
bayberry |
|||
† Deviacer |
|
A
milkwort relative |
|||
Rhamnaceae |
Undescribed [35] |
|
A
ceanothus leaf |
||
Undescribed [35] |
|
A
Paliurus leaf |
|||
|
A buckthorn species. |
||||
Rosaceae |
Undescribed [4] |
|
A
service berry |
||
Crataegus |
|
A hawthorn leaf |
|||
|
A hawthorn fruit |
||||
|
A
hawthorn relative |
||||
Undescribed [20] |
|
Possible
oceanspray leaves |
|||
|
An
apple |
||||
|
A maloid species possibly
apple or
pear |
||||
Neviusia |
|
||||
Undescribed [4] |
|
A
snow-wreath |
|||
|
An Osoberry |
||||
|
A rose family flower |
||||
" Paraprunus" |
Undescribed [91] |
|
An amygdaloid leaf morphotaxon |
||
Photinia |
|
A Christmas-berry relative |
|||
Undescribed [33] |
|
A Christmas-berry relative |
|||
Undescribed [41] |
|
A possible
nine-bark |
|||
Prunus |
|
A prunoid wood. |
|||
|
A cherry flower |
||||
"Princeton chert species 1" [104] |
|
A
prunoid seed. |
|||
"Princeton chert species 2" [104] |
|
A
prunoid seed. |
|||
"Princeton chert species 3" [104] |
|
A
prunoid seed. |
|||
"Republic species 1" [51] |
|
A
prunoid leaf. |
|||
"Republic species 2" [51] |
|
A
prunoid leaf. |
|||
"Republic species 3" [51] |
|
A
prunoid leaf. |
|||
|
A
prunoid leaf. |
||||
|
Amygdaloid leaves and flowers of
prunoid affinity. |
||||
Undescribed [5] |
|
A
firethorn sp.
[5] |
|||
Undescribed [35] |
|
A
pear |
|||
Undescribed [5] |
|
A maloid species possibly
apple or
pear |
|||
|
A
blackberry |
||||
|
A punitive sorbus |
||||
|
A
rowan relative |
||||
|
A
bridal wreath |
||||
|
A sorbarieous genus |
Family | Genus | species | Sites | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Anacardiaceae | Rhus |
|
A
sumac |
||
|
A
sumac with leaflets on short petiolules |
||||
|
A
sumac with leaflets on short petiolules |
||||
|
A
sumac with sessile leaflets |
||||
Undescribed [33] |
|
A
sumac species |
|||
|
An extinct Bursera relative |
||||
Lythraceae | Decodon |
|
|||
Undescribed [41] |
|
A
swamp loosestrife |
|||
Malvaceae | Craigia |
|
A Craigia species |
||
Undescribed [84] |
|
A
Craigia species |
|||
† Florissantia |
|
A Florissantia species |
|||
Undescribed [26] |
|
A
Florissantia species |
|||
Undescribed [4] |
|
A
hibiscus |
|||
Undescribed [84] |
|
A
linden relative |
|||
Tilia |
|
A Linden |
|||
|
A
Linden relative |
||||
|
A Myrtaceous fruit |
||||
|
A leaf of simaroubaceous affinity. [55] |
||||
Sapindaceae | Acer |
|
single fruit missing a seed. |
||
|
A maple samara. |
||||
|
A maple samara morphospecies. |
||||
|
A maple samara morphospecies. |
||||
|
A maple samara morphospecies. |
||||
|
A maple samara morphospecies. |
||||
|
A maple leaf and samara species. |
||||
|
A maple samara morphospecies. |
||||
|
A maple samara morphospecies. |
||||
|
A maple samara morphospecies. |
||||
|
A maple leaf and samara species. |
||||
|
A maple samara morphospecies. |
||||
|
Maple leaves and seeds. |
||||
|
A
horse chestnut |
||||
† Bohlenia |
|
A soap berry genus |
|||
|
A
soap berry genus |
||||
Undescribed [33] |
|
A
soap berry genus |
|||
|
A Dipteronia species |
||||
Koelreuteria |
|
A Koelreuteria species |
|||
Undescribed [41] |
A Koelreuteria species |
||||
|
A possible dodonaecous soapberry family flower |
||||
|
A
sapindaceous species |
||||
Ulmaceae |
Undescribed [41] |
|
An elm relative |
||
† Ulminium |
|
An
elm wood species. |
|||
Ulmus |
|
An
elm |
|||
|
An elm |
||||
|
An elm wood species. |
||||
|
An elm wood species. |
||||
|
Elm leaves or fruits |
Family | Genus | species | Sites | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cercidiphyllaceae |
|
A
katsura with suggested affinity to †
Joffrea,
[41] |
|||
Unidentified |
|
A katsura relative with suggested affinity to † Joffrea or † Nyssydium [41] |
|||
Grossulariaceae | Ribes |
Undescribed [117] |
|
A
current fruit |
|
|
A
current |
||||
Hamamelidaceae | Corylopsis |
|
|||
Undescribed [33] |
|
A
winter-hazel |
|||
|
|||||
Iteaceae |
|
A
Virginia willow species |
|||
undescribed [20] |
|
A
Virginia willow-like leaf |
|||
Vitaceae |
|
A grape family fruit of uncertain generic placement [120] |
|||
incertae sedis |
"Type 1" [119] |
|
A
grape family fruit of uncertain generic placement |
||
"Type 2" [119] |
|
A
grape family fruit of uncertain generic placement |
|||
Unidentified |
Unidentified [33] |
|
Vitoideae leaves/seeds |
Family | Genus | species | Sites | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Undescribed [41] |
|
A leaf morphotype of uncertain affiliation |
|||
|
A winged fruit of unidentified affinities |
||||
† Chaneya |
|
A sapindalean flower of uncertain affiliations |
|||
† Eorhiza |
|
A semi-aquatic dicot of uncertain affinity. |
|||
|
A fruit of uncertain affiliation |
||||
|
A palynomorph uncertain affiliation |
||||
|
A flower of uncertain affiliation |
||||
|
A winged fruit of uncertain affinity |
||||
|
A samara of uncertain affinities. |
||||
|
An
incertae sedis angiosperm |
||||
† "Acer" negundifolium (Dawson) LaMotte ( 1952) [35] [55] |
|
Leaf fragments of a "problematic nature" |
A number of fungi have been preserved within the Princeton Chert, though only three have been formally described as of 2024. The first instance of ectomycorrhizae in the fossil record was reported by LePage et al (1997) who documented mycorrhizal rootlets associated with Pinus roots. [128]
Order | Genus | species | Sites | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
An ascomycetan fungus on the host palm Uhlia allenbyensis |
||||
undescribed [130] |
|
A
jahnulalean fungi. |
|||
Microascales |
undescribed [130] |
|
A
microascalean fungi. |
||
undescribed [130] |
|
A
microascalean fungi. |
|||
Pleosporales |
|
An
ascomycetan fungus |
|||
|
An
ascomycotan fungus |
||||
Undescribed |
Undescribed |
Undescribed [128] |
|
Ectomycorrhizae associated with
Pinus roots |
A number of taxa identified or described by Penhallow (1902, 1906, 1908) and Berry (1926) have not received much or any modern attention, resulting in uncertainty of taxon affiliation, identification, or synonymy. Many late 1800's to early 1900's identifications of Okanagan highlands fossils were made based on geologic age assumptions ranging between the Miocene to Pliocene, and often specimens were grouped into species bins for taxa first described from Europe.
Family | Species | Reporting Author | Sites | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adoxaceae |
†" Viburnum antiquum" (Newberry) Hollick [27] |
Berry, 1926 |
|
First named as a
viburnum leaf morphotype |
|
† Viburnum dentoni Lesquereux [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
A viburnum leaf morphotype |
||
Araliaceae |
Aralia acerifolia Lesquereux [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Fragmentary leaves. |
|
Aralia notata Lesquereux [59] [35] |
Penhallow, 1902 |
|
Fragmentary leaves. |
||
Betulaceae |
Alnus alaskana Newberry [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Fragmentary leaves |
|
Alnus carpinoides Lesquereux [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Fragmentary leaves |
||
Alnus serrulata fossilis Newberry [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Fragmentary leaves |
||
Betula angustifolia Newberry [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Leaves. |
||
Betula heterodonta Newberry [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Leaves and one possible cone. |
||
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Fragmetary leaves with cones. |
|||
Betula stevensoni Lesquereux [59] |
Penhallow, 1902 |
|
Fragmentary leaves |
||
Carpinus grandis Unger ex Heer |
Dawson, 1890 |
|
|||
Corylus americana walt [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
|||
Cercidiphyllaceae |
Dawson, 1879 |
|
A
katsura leaf morphotype
|
||
Jenkinsella arctica (Heer) Golovneva & Alekseev [27] [134] |
Berry, 1926 |
|
A
katsura like fruit morphospecies |
||
Cornaceae |
† Cornophyllum nebrascensis (Schimper) McIver & Basinger [35] [135] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
A punitive
dogwood relative |
|
† Cornus suborbifera Lesquereux? [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
A dogwood |
||
† Thuja interrupta Newberry [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Fort Union Formation, North Dakota |
||
Penhallow, 1907 |
|
A monocot of uncertain affinity |
|||
Andromeda delicatula Lesquereux [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Two Ericaceae? leaves |
||
Fagaceae |
† Castanea castanaefolia (Unger) Knowlton [59] |
Penhallow, 1902 |
|
Fragmentary leaves. |
|
† Castanea intermedia? Lesquereux [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Single fragmentary specimen |
||
† Castanopsis perplexa (Knowlton) Brown [55] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Single fragmentary specimen |
||
† Quercus castanopsis Newberry [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Fort Union Formation, Montana |
||
† Quercus consimilis Newberry [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Bridge Creek Flora, Orgeon |
||
† Quercus dallii Lesquereux [35] |
Dawson, 1891 |
|
Type locality Cook Inlet, Alaska |
||
† Quercus groenlandica Heer [27] |
Berry, 1926 |
|
Type locality Greenland |
||
† Quercus penhallowi Trelease [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Fort Union Formation, North Dakota |
||
† Ginkgo digitata (Brongn.) Heer [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
A ginkgo leaf mophospecies. |
||
Juglandaceae |
† Carya antiquorum Newberry [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
A Carya leaf morphospecies |
|
† Juglans nigella Heer [35] |
Dawson, 1876 |
|
Type locality Cook Inlet, Alaska |
||
† Juglans occidentalis Newberry [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Green River Formation, Wyoming |
||
† Juglans rhamnoides Lesquereux [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Evanston, Utah |
||
† Cinnamomum affine Lesquereux [35] |
Dawson, 1890 |
|
A cinnamon leaf morphospecies |
||
† Pterospermites alaskana Knowlton [27] |
Berry, 1926 |
|
Type locality
Keni Formation |
||
Moraceae |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality
Most Basin
Bílina
Czech Republic |
||
Ficus asiminaefolia Lesquereux |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality "Rock Corral", California |
||
Ficus decandolleana Heer |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Monod, Switzerland |
||
Ficus populina Heer |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Monod, Switzerland |
||
Ficus ungeri Lesquereux |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality
Green River Formation, Whyoming |
||
Musophyllum complicatum Lesquereux [35] [27] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
A monocot morphogenus |
||
Myricaceae |
† Comptonia dryandroides Unger [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
A Comptonia leaf morphospecies |
|
† Comptonia partita (Lesquereux) Berry [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
A
Comptonia leaf morphospecies |
||
† Myrica (?) personata Knowlton [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Fossil, Oregon |
||
† Onoclea hebridica (Forbes) Bell [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Isle of Mull, UK |
||
† Osmunda heeri Gaudin [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Rivaz, Switzerland |
||
† Pinus lardyana Heer [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Switzerland |
||
Poaceae |
† Phragmites alaskana Heer [27] |
Berry, 1926 |
|
A grass/sedge leaf morphogenus |
|
† Poacites tenuistriatus Heer [27] |
Berry, 1926 |
|
A grass/sedge leaf morphogenus |
||
Potamogeton (?) verticillatus Lesquereux [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Florissant, Colorado |
||
Rhamnaceae |
† Rhamnus belmontensis Knowlton & Cockerell [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Laramie, Colorado |
|
† Rhamnus eridani Unger [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Disco Island, Greenland, |
||
† Rhamnus gaudini Heer [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Switzerland, |
||
† Prunus (?) merriami Knowlton [35] [55] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Mascall Formation, Oregon |
||
† Zanthoxylum spireaefolium Lesquereux [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Florissant, Colorado |
||
Salicaceae |
† Populus cordata Newberry [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Fort Union Formation, Montana |
|
† Populus latior Braun [35] |
Dawson, 1879 |
|
Type locality Europe |
||
† Populus mutabilis crenata Heer [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Switzerland |
||
† Populus polymorpha Newberry [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Bridge Creek, Oregon |
||
† Populus zaddachi Heer [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Samland, Russia |
||
† Salix varians Goeppert [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Europe |
||
† Acer chaneyi Knowlton [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Mascall Formation, Oregon |
||
† Taxites olriki Heer [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Atanekerdluk, Greenland |
||
† Typha lesquereuxi Cockerell |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Florissant, Colorado |
||
Ulmaceae |
† Planera lingualis Knowlton & Cockerell [35] [55] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Fort Union Formation, Wyoming |
|
† Ulmus minuta Goeppert [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Germany |
||
† Ulmus speciosa Newberry [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Bridge Creek, Oregon |
||
† Ulmus tenuinervis Lesquereux [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Middle Park, Colorado |
||
Vitaceae |
† Vitis alaskana Cockerell? [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Admiralty Inlet, Alaska |
|
† Vitis olriki Heer? [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality Atanekerdluk, Greenland |
||
Incertae sedis |
† "Acer" grahamensis Knowlton & Cockerell [27] |
Berry, 1926 |
|
Type locality Port Graham, Alaska |
|
† Leguminosites arachioides Lesquereux [35] |
Penhallow, 1908 |
|
Type locality is Evanston, Wyoming |
{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link)