B. Papp szerk.: Studia Botanica Hungarica 30-31. 1999-2000 (Budapest, 2000)

Erdei, Boglárka; Lesiak, Maria: A study of dispersed cuticles, fossil seeds and cones from Sarmatian (Upper Miocene) deposits of Sopron-Piusz puszta (W Hungary)

Bmnssum and Tegelen and from the Miocene floras of Stare Gliwice, Baldevo and Balscha (MAI 1995). MAI and PALAMAREV (1997) mention a Chinese species, Pterocarya hupehensis Skan as a possible modern equivalent of the fossil one. Rutaceae Toddalia sp. (T. Imaii Gregor) (Fig. 27) Material: BP 99.512.1. Description: The seed is kidney-shaped, its length is 4 mm with a height of 2 mm and a breadth of 1.2 mm. Hylum and chalaza regions are clearly observable. Discussion: The kidney-shaped seed may represent the small-sized group of Toddalia seeds the members of which are T. maii Gregor, T. maerkeri Gregor and T. excavata (Chandler) Gregor occurring frequently in the Miocene of Central Europe (GREGOR 1984). The European occurrence of the genus with its 8 fossil species ranges from the Upper Eocene to the Lower Pliocene (MAI and PALAMAREV 1997). This is the first (and only) record of the genus from Hungarian fossil floras. T. asiatica (L.) Lam. is mentioned generally as a modern equivalent of the fossil species. The monotypic Toddalia Jussieu genus, regarded as an indicator of warm and humid climate, is a member of evergreen and mixed mesophilous forests in Southwestern Africa, Madagascar, Mauritius, India, the Himalayas, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, the Philippines, Taiwan, Southern Japan and in the southeastern regions of China (GREGOR 1979). DISCUSSION Although the flora presented from Sopron-Piusz puszta, due to its limited number of specimens and allochthonous mode of fossilization, is not suitable for detailed palaeoecological and palaeoclimatological reconstructions of the strict area, it has some important implications. Since the flora has been fossilized in delta plain sediments and its material must have been deposited from a great catchment area, it may point to some of the diversity of the vegetation surrounding the river bank. According to GASTALDO et al. (1989) delta plain sediments and deposits of rivers with extensive catchment area may provide a good picture about the diversity of the former vegetation. However, in the case of Sopron-Piusz puszta an accurate palaeoecological evaluation is hindered first of all by the small number of fossil remains.