Folia Historico-Naturalia Musei Matraensis - A Mátra Múzeum Természetrajzi Közleményei 17. (1992)

Bužek, Č.–László, J.: Contribution to the Upper Pannonian flora from Visonta, northern Hungary

HISTORY OF PALE080TANICAL RESEARCHES The first fossil plants known from the Mátra piedmont area are the Pinus needle remains mentioned by NOSZKY, j. se

n. (1927). HARASZTY, Ä. (1933) studied 31 lignite sarnies from Rózsaszentmárton describing all of them as belonging to the species Taxodium distichum Rich. First large-scale collections at Rózsaszentmárton were made by PÄLFALVY,i. (1952). According to him "the more humid, milder character of the climate is well documented by the presence of the species Cinnamomum polymorphum (A. BR.) FRENTZ., Engelhardtia brongniartl SAP., Glyptostrobus europaeus (BRGT.) HEER etc.". HARASZTY, Ä. (1953) made xylotomic studies on the lignites from Rózsaszentmárton. In this material he found only pine trunks, the remains of deciduous trees are absent. An overwhelming majority of the finds proved to be taxodloxylon gypsaceum. Taxodioxylon taxodii, Cupressinoxylon and also a trunk of Junlperoxylon type were found in addition to some Ginkgo trunk remains. The paleobotanlcal material of Rózsaszentmárton, Petófibánya was studied also by VÖRÖS, I. (1955). He and PÄLFALVY, I. had published 33 species of 23 genera altogether. According to VÖRÖS, I. "The composition of the Rózsaszentmárton flora roughly corresponds to the composition of floras of the same age at more western areas, yet with a greater ratio of tropical species." Mrs. L. NAGY summarized her palynological studies made on the brown-coal layers of the Mátra piedmont area In 1958. Her paper comprises detailed paleoclimatologlcel discussion and icludes also the detailed description of some peleobotanical problems. During his recent collections PÄLFALVY, I. (1965) had found leaf impressions of Ginkgo adiantoides (UNG.) HEER at Rózsaszentmárton, Petófibánya, corresponding well with HARASZTY's xylotomical results. The results of palynological studies made on the material of recent lignite exploration drillings are published by BONA, I. - M. RUMLI-SZENTAI (1966). According to their opinion the drillinge in the vicinity of Gyöngyös give evidence of the presence of three palynological zones which provide a solid basis for correlation. The material collected from the lignite mines in the Mátra and Bükk piedmont areas in the summer of 1977 were evaluated by PÄLFALVY, I. - RÄK05I, L. (1979). According to them "the vegetation of the series with lignite seams of the Mátra and Blikk piedmont areas was similar to that living now at the boundary between warm temperate and temperate zones". The summary of studies made on the leaf and seed finds of the material collected after 1977 was published by LÁSZLÓ, J. (19B9a). His more recent papers deal with the leaves of Ginkgo adiantoides (LINGER) HEER and with the seed and fruit remains of Spiremetospermum wetzleri (HEER) Chandler (LÄSZLO, 3. 1989/b, 1991a/b). SYSTEMATIC PART SELAGINELLACEAE Selaginella sp.(Pl. Ill, Figs. 1, 2): Description: Megespore flattened, ovate in outline, 1.045 mm long and 0.910 mm wide, proximal side with round structure, Y-mark not clearly visible, surface with low but well developed ornamentation. Remarks: There is certain similarity with some fossil species in surface structure, however, for specific determination further specimens are necessary. KN0BL0CH (1986) reviewed fossil records of the genus from Moravia and Slovakia and described a series of new species as well. Material: 1 specimen., inventorized under No. BK-5542. 50