The Jambi gigantopterids and their place in gigantopterid classification

Abstract

The gigantopterids are a pan-palaeotropical Late Palaeozoic (to Early Mesozoic) plant group with unknown affiliations. Two gigantopterid species, both sole representatives of their respective genera, are known from the Early Permian Mengkarang Formation of Jambi (Sumatra, Indonesia). Through an emendation of the Jambi gigantopterids, based on the old and newly collected material, and a subsequent analysis of the leaf morphology of several gigantopterid genera, we conclude that the Jambi species are similar to the other gigantopterids, but do not appear to be related to them directly. We propose a possible scenario for the evolution of gigantopterid leaf morphology, based on marginal leaf growth, with implications for the validity of the gigantopterids as a natural group. © 2009 The Linnean Society of London.