Reappraisal of five fossil coniferous wood genera proposed by early American wood anatomists

Abstract

At the beginning of the 20th century R. Holden and E.W. Sinnott described five new genera of fossil coniferous woods, Metacedroxylon Holden, Paracedroxylon Holden, Paracupressinoxylon Sinnott, Paraphyllocladoxylon Holden and Protobrachyoxylon Holden. Since 1933 these five generic names have been consistently overlooked, and junior synonyms regularly used, including the relatively well-known genera Protocupressinoxylon Eckhold 1921 and Protophyllocladoxylon Kräusel 1939. The surviving type material of these five genera has been re-examined. According to this reappraisal: Metacedroxylon is an illegitimate nomenclatural synonym of Protocedroxylon Gothan, and its type material is heterogeneous; Paracedroxylon Sinnott and Paracupressinoxylon Holden are both junior taxonomical synonyms of Brachyoxylon Hollick et Jeffrey; the lectotype of Paraphyllocladoxylon is unfortunately lost, as is the one of Protobrachyoxylon Holden, the legitimate name for Protocupressinoxylon.