A new fossil wood of koelreuterIa (Sapindaceae) from the Pliocene of china and remarks on the phytogeographic history of Koelreuteria

Abstract

Koelreuteria yuanmouensis sp. nov. (Sapindaceae) is described from the Pliocene fluvio-lacustrine rocks of Hutiaotan Earth Forest, Yuanmou Basin, Yunnan, China. This is the first report of fossil Koelreuteria wood from Asia. The history of the genus is reviewed. Fruits and leaves of the genus have been reported from the Paleocene onwards in Asia, North America, and Europe, with the genus becoming restricted to East Asia during the Neogene.