Szekessy Vilmos (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 56. (Budapest 1964)

Rásky, K.: Studies of Tertiary plant remains from Hungary

ANNALES HISTORICO-NATURALES MUSEI NATIONALIS HUNGARICI Tomus 56. PARS MINERALOGICA ET PALAEONTOLOGICA 1964. Studies of Tertiary Plant Remains from Hungary By K. RÁSKY, Budapest The Tertiary plant remains published in the present paper, from the Upper Eocene marl formation (the so-called Buda marl) and the Middle Oligocène clay deposit (the Kiscell clay), have been found in the area of Budapest-Óbuda. Fossil remains are also described from the Tertiary tuff and sandstone sediments at Ipolytarnóc, and the Tortonian marly clay strata at Tállya. The fossil record discloses that many of the genera now confined to America (Lobaria, Woodwardia, Sabal. Comptonia, Magnolia etc.), Asia (Woodwardia, Lobaria, Calamus, Magnolia, Kydia, etc.), and to Madeira and the Canaries (Woodwardia, etc.), had representatives in Europe, especially in Hungary, also in the Tertiary. These genera have been members of the Pre-Tertiary major floristic provinces, including America, Europe, and Asia, with the large islands (subcontinents) or archipelagoes within the present oceanic regions. By the submersion of the extensive continents, the hitherto contiguous floral provinces have become separated from each other. On the remaining continents, the floras might have retained their contiguity for a time, even for longer periods in certain areas. The changed faces of the lands and oceans, the radically altered and later fluctuating climates, the incipient migration, adaptation, differentiation and other, forever effective complex factors had, since then, several times modified the disjunct floristic assemblages, becoming extinct in certain continents (Europe), or subsisting as relict floras in others (America, Asia). The plant fossils namely, found almost simultaneously in areas extremely removed from each other, contradict any presumed large scale dispersals of the respective genera (e.g. Sabal, Calamus, Kydia, etc.) or floras. 1. Tállya (NE Hungary) Tortonian Diospyros rugosa SAPORTA (Plate VII, Fig. 3; Plate XII, Fig. 4). Remarks : The remains of the quinquesepalous calyx (Plate XII, Fig. 5) found among the specimens from Tállya is wholly identifiable with the quinquesepalous calyx remains of Ipolvtarnóc, to be described below when discussing the Ipolytarnóc finds (p. 75). Calyx remains with narrower leaves were also found in Tálya. There are only three adjacent calyx leaves on these specimens, but the transversal wrinkles, characteristic of the Diospyros calyces, are also well visible. ETTINGSHAUSEN (1869, p. 233, Taf. 38, Fig. 24 -25) published in the fossil flora of Bilin similarly stenophyllous calyx remains under the name Diospyros palaeogea, closely resembling the Tállya specimens. These remains present the impression of also 5 -6 mm long pedicels. Similar trisepalous calyx remains were submitted by ETTINGSHAUSEN as Macreightia microcalyx (1869, Taf. 39, Fig. 4 - 5), and HEER as Macreightia germanica (1859, Taf. 103, Fig. 1 -2). However, these calyces show a longitudinally parallel venation, thus differing from the stenophyllous calyx remains of Diospyros rugosa SAP., found also in Tállya.