NEW RECORDS OF FOSSIL FLOWERING PLANTS
FROM
SUFFOLK H . L . PEARSON
Some 14 species of flowering plants (angiosperms) of pre-Pleistocene age have been described from their fossilised seeds, fruits and wood collected in Suffolk (Pearson, 1987). In addition, the British Museum (Natural History) has in its Palaeontology Department stores more specimens of fossil flowering plants from Suffolk not yet recorded or described. Here I present initial accounts of these additional specimens, which include the first unequivocal record of fossil monocotyledonous plants (viz. Palmoxylon) from Suffolk, plus the first record o f a pre-Pleistocene plant from Felixstowe. i) Palm s t e m s f r o m Waldringfield
Nine fragments of calcified stems from the Red Crag showing vascular structure typical of most monocotylededonous angiosperms were found (see Appendix). However, the size, shape and quality of preservation of these indicate that they probably come from three or four original, intact specimens. As no ground slices are available, their anatomy has been examined using incident light on polished or acid-etched surfaces, and by peel sections (Joy, et al., 1956). The largest specimen is part of a stem at least 130mm in diameter. All of the stems are partially decorticated and each has the peripheral vascular region only. Some of the smaller specimens are either petioles or stems. Fibrovascular bundles are scattered in the parenchymatous ground tissue. In most of these bundles the vascular tissues are completely enclosed by a sheath of fibrous sclerenchyma, which is usually thicker on the abaxial (outer or ventral) surface of the bündle. No entirely fibrous bundles are present. This form of bündle anatomy has also been observed in the Indian palm stem Palmoxylon mahabalei of Eocene age, which Rao and Menon (1967) consider to resemble COCOÄ, the coconut palm. Fossil palm stems have been reported during the past two centuries showing a worldwide distribution (Mahabale, 1958). Kaul (1960) provided a cosmopolitan review of the earlier records of fossil palm stems with particular reference to specimens in the B.M. (N.H.) collections. As with the fossil woods described above, it has been necessary to assign many of the fossil palm stems to form-genera, principally to Palmoxylon Schenk. Mahabale (1958, 1961) discussed the artificial nature of that form-genus, in part because some of its species are monocotyledonous but not belonging to the Arecaceae (palm family). In contrast, however, certain other Palmoxylon species are more definitely akin to extant palm sub-families or genera. British fossil palm stems have been mentioned by certain authors (Chandler 1964; Brett, 1966), and Edwards (1928) drew attention to such stems from the Red Crag of Suffolk displayed formerly at the B.M. (N.H.). Recently, Dr. M. E. Collinson has recorded the discovery of many pyritised stumps showing both the root mantle and typical stem anatomy of
Trans. Suffolk Nat. Soc. 25