ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Laurus macrocarpa Lesquereux from
the mid-Cretaceous (Cenomanian) Dakota
Formation, USA, is a chlamydospermous seed,
not an angiosperm fruit
1
Florida Museum of Natural History, Dickinson Hall,1659 Museum Road, Gainesville, FL 32611-7800, USA
2
Oak Spring Garden Foundation, 1776 Loughborough Lane, Upperville, VA 20184, USA
3
Yale School of the Environment, 195 Prospect Street, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511-2387, USA
Submission date: 2025-12-11
Acceptance date: 2026-04-13
Online publication date: 2026-06-29
Publication date: 2026-06-29
Acta Palaeobotanica 2026; 66(1): 51-66
HIGHLIGHTS
- Disseminules previously treated as angiosperm fruits are shown to be gymnosperm seeds
- The seeds are large compared to previously recognized Cretaceous gnetalean seeds
- Micro-CT scanning revealed new features in fossil seeds collected about 150 years ago
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
The fossil seed, Decaturospermum macrocarpum (Lesquereux) gen. nov. et comb. nov., is described
based on specimens of latest Albian to mid-Cenomanian age (mid-Cretaceous) from the Dakota Formation of
Nebraska, and Kansas, USA, which were previously named Laurus macrocarpa Lesquereux; and from the Woodbine
Formation of Texas, USA, which were previously named Laurocarpum tetragonale MacNeal. All specimens
are molds and casts lacking cellular details, but light microscopy and micro-CT scanning reveal key structural
features. Combined information from eight specimens indicates that D. macrocarpum is a seed with an outer covering
comprised of four valves. The four valves are reflected in the cast of the seed cavity, which has a quadrangular
transverse section with four rounded edges. Each valve has a smooth outer surface covering a decay-susceptible
outer layer that was replaced by sediment early during fossilization. Sediment filling the space left by the decaysusceptible
outer layer preserves an impression of a distinctive dendritic reticulate system of longitudinal and
transverse ribs on its inner surface, which reflects the outer surface of a decay-resistant inner layer, now seen
only as a cavity. The inner surface of the decay-resistant inner layer is smooth, as is the outer surface of the cast
filling the seed cavity. Below the seed cavity a downward extension of the decay-resistant layer forms a prominent
swollen-cylindrical flange around the seed base. Decay-susceptible tissues inside the swollen flange are replaced by
sediment but preserve the distinctive sinuous course of four vascular bundles. The position of each bundle suggests
that it entered a valve in a near median position. Comparison of Decaturospermum macrocarpum with other seeds
of Cretaceous age indicates that the two-layered, four-valved outer covering is the envelope of a chlamydospermous
seed, which was most likely produced by plants closely related to extant Gnetales.
FUNDING
None.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors
have declared that no competing interests exist.
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