Cryptocarya chinensis from the Upper Pleistocene of South China and its biogeographic and paleoecological implications.

Anatomical structure of mummified wood of Cryptocarya (Lauraceae) from the Upper Pleistocene of Maoming, South China and the woods of 15 extant species of Cryptocarya from China and Malaysia were examined. The fossil wood has been convincingly attributed to extant species Cryptocarya chinensis (Hance) Hemsl. This is the first reliable fossil record of Cryptocarya in Asia. The finding combined with the results of Biomod2 species distribution modeling suggest that the range of C. chinensis in the Late Pleistocene in South China and North Vietnam was very restricted due to increased continental aridity and enhanced temperature seasonality in this region. Thus, modern populations of C. chinensis in Maoming can be considered as glacial relicts. The mines (larval tunnels) produced by the larvae of flies from the genus Phytobia Lioy (Agromyzidae, Diptera) were observed in fossil wood under study. These cambial miners have never been reported in Cryptocarya.

First reliable Miocene fossil winged fruits record of Engelhardia in Asia through anatomical investigation.

Fossil genera with similar features to the winged fruits of the living Engelhardia Lesch. ex Blume (e.g., Palaeocarya G. Saporta) have been widely reported in Cenozoic fossil floras of the Northern Hemisphere. However, fossil winged fruits of Engelhardia with detailed anatomical structures have only been found in the upper Eocene of North America. This study reports the first Engelhardia fossil winged fruits with detailed anatomical structures in East Asia from the Miocene Erzitang Formation of Guangxi, South China. The anatomical and morphological features of the new fossils, including the unique structure of secondary septa, clearly distinguish them from other fossil genera and show unambiguously their attribution to the genus Engelhardia. This discovery suggests that Engelhardia had reached its modern distribution during the Miocene and the climate of the Guiping Basin in Guangxi during the Miocene was similar to that of present-day tropical and subtropical regions in Asia.

Glacial expansion of cold-tolerant species in low latitudes: megafossil evidence and species distribution modelling.

Fossil wood of Chinese white pine (Pinus armandii Franch.) from the Late Pleistocene deposits of Maoming Basin of South China provides the first megafossil evidence for glacial expansion of the range of a cold-tolerant species in low latitudes.

Mummified fruits of Canarium from the upper Pleistocene of South China.

Canarium L. contains approximately 78 species distributed in low to middle altitudes of the Paleotropics and northern Australia. Canarium fruit fossils are known mainly from Paleogene to Neogene of North America, Africa, and Eurasia. Here, we described a new species Canarium maomingense sp. nov. from the upper Pleistocene of the Maoming Basin, Guangdong, South China. Similarly to extant Canarium species, each of three locules of C. maomingense possesses two ovules, but only one or two of six ovules develop into a seed, indicating that the ovules undeveloped into seeds in Canarium species have existed at least since the late Pleistocene. The natural habitats of extant relatives and associated fossil plants suggest subtropical evergreen broad-leaved and mixed forests in the late Pleistocene of this region. Some special damage traces are observed on pyrene surfaces, indicating possible plant interactions with animals and fungi.

Araucarioid wood from the late Oligocene-early Miocene of Hainan Island: first fossil evidence for the genus Agathis in the Northern Hemisphere.

Although many fossil and molecular data suggest migrations from Malesia and Asia to Australia appear to dominate floristic exchange between Australian and Asian rainforests, evidence is emerging that demonstrate dispersal of plant groups from Australia to Asia. In this paper, a new species Agathis ledongensis sp. nov. is described on the basis of silicified wood from the late Oligocene-early Miocene of the Qiutangling Formation in Ledong, Hainan Island, South China. It is the first fossil record of Agathis in the Northern Hemisphere, and the only known fossil evidence of its dispersal outside of Gondwana. The close affinity of the fossil wood from Ledong with the genus Agathis was confirmed by comparing quantitative traits in 31 wood samples of 20 species representing all three extant genera of the Araucariaceae. The percentage of tracheids with uniseriate pitting on radial walls is shown as an additional diagnostic trait for separating Agathis and Wollemia from Araucaria. The wood of Agathis ledongensis provides evidence for the dispersal of this important plant group from Australia, or another Gondwanan terrane, to eastern Asia based on reliable fossil data. It records the occurrence of this genus in Hainan Island by the early Miocene, i.e. at the beginning of the formation of the island chains between Australia and the South-East Asia and thus the provision of a land migration route. As the land routes between these continents were restricted at that time, the migration of Agathis to Malesia and Asia was presumably facilitated by long-distance dispersal of its winged seeds by wind.

Camellia nanningensis sp. nov.: the earliest fossil wood record of the genus Camellia (Theaceae) from East Asia.

A new species Camellia nanningensis was described on the basis of well-preserved mummified wood from the upper Oligocene Yongning Formation of Nanning Basin in Guangxi Province, South China. This represents the most ancient fossil wood assigned to Camellia, and the earliest fossil record of the family Theaceae in China. This fossil material shows that Camellia occurred in China as early as the late Oligocene, suggesting more ancient radiation of this genus than estimated by molecular dating.

[Study on fingerprint spectrum of Lonicera macranthoides by HPLC].

OBJECT: To establish the fingerprint spectrum of Lonicera macranthoides by HPLC. METHODS: The column of Hypersil gold C18 (4. 6 mm x 250 mm, 5 microm) was used. The mobile phase consisted of Acetonitril-0.05% phosphoric acid with gradient elution. The column temperature was 30 degrees C, the detective wavelength was 240 nm, and the flow rate was 0.5 ml/min. RESULTS: Fingerprint spectrum of Lonicera macranthoides was established, and 11 samples of different origin Lonicera macranthoides were detected. Ten peaks in the chromatogram were common by Similarity Evaluation System for Chromatographic Fingerprints of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Version 2004 A). There was a high similarity and each chromatographic peak was obtained with good separation and correlation according to the technical requirements of fingerprint of Chinese traditional medicine. CONCLUSION: This method is accurate, reliable and provides a scientific basis for controlling the quality of Lonicera macranthoides.