ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Ginkgophytopsis Høeg 1967 emend., a reclassification of enigmatic cuneate leaves of the Euramerican Upper Carboniferous
1
Geological Collections, Gantz Family Collections Center, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois,
60605, USA
2
Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C., 20560, USA
3
Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Paleobotany Group, University of Münster, Münster, D-48149,
Germany
Submission date: 2026-02-01
Acceptance date: 2026-06-09
Online publication date: 2026-06-29
Publication date: 2026-06-29
Acta Palaeobotanica 2026; 66(1): 95-112
HIGHLIGHTS
- Taxonomic reassessment of Late Paleozoic “ginkgophyte” leaves from Euramerica
- Analysis of G. flabellatum in the context of Pennsylvanian Subperiod cyclothems
- Emendation of the genus Ginkgophytopsis to exclude species with true petioles
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
In Upper Carboniferous Euramerican floras, the generic affinities of enigmatic, cuneate to flabellate
“Ginkgo-like” leaves remain poorly understood. The species Cordaites grandifolius (USA), Noeggerathia
flabellata (U.K.) and Ginkgophyllum delvalii (Western and Central Europe) have been taxonomically studied
and compared, but no formal reclassification nor assessment of the North American form in relation to the
European specimens has been conducted prior to this study. Reinvestigation of the holotypes and additional
material of these species indicates that they do not conform to their current generic assignments on the basis of
laminar morphology, axis structure and paleogeographic range. Here, we synonymize the three aforementioned
species under the name Ginkgophytopsis flabellata, which we also emend. This study summarizes the complex
taxonomic history of some of the Late Paleozoic “ginkgophytes,” and we also emend the genus Ginkgophytopsis
on the basis of our morphological reassessment of G. flabellata.
FUNDING
This study was supported by
the Paleontological Society Norman Newell
Early Career Grant to Michael P. Donovan.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors
have no conflicts of interest to declare.
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