Faironia difasciculata, a new gymnosperm from the Early Carboniferous (Mississippian) of Montagne Noire, France

Anne-Laure Decombeix (1) , Jean Galtier (1) , Brigitte Meyer-Berthaud (1)

1 UMR AMAP - Botanique et Modélisation de l'Architecture des Plantes et des Végétations

A new taxon of probable gymnosperm affinities is described from the base of the Carboniferous (Mississippian, Middle Tournaisian) of Montagne Noire, southern France. It is based on a permineralised stem showing vascular and cortical tissues, and one attached petiole base. Faironia difasciculata gen. et sp. nov. shows the combination of a broad eustele and dense wood with a multifascicular leaf trace, originating from two non-adjacent axial strands. The Kalymma-type petiole base resembles that of the calamopityan pteridosperms but anatomy of the stele, wood and phloem more closely compares to that of early arborescent gymnosperms such as Pitus, Eristophyton or Megalomyelon the taxonomic position of which needs to be re-evaluated. Faironia is the sixth genus of seed plant affinities based on stems reported from the Montagne Noire deposits that, to date, comprise the most diverse assemblage of permineralised seed plant remains from just above the Devonian/Carboniferous boundary.

Mots clés: Mississippian; Early Carboniferous; Early gymnosperm; Permineralised stem; Petiole base; Eustele; Dense wood

Domaines: Biologie végétale

Anne-Laure Decombeix, Jean Galtier, Brigitte Meyer-Berthaud. Faironia difasciculata, a new gymnosperm from the Early Carboniferous (Mississippian) of Montagne Noire, France. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, 2006, 142 (3), pp.79-92. ⟨10.1016/j.revpalbo.2006.03.020⟩. ⟨hal-00112100⟩