ORIGINAL ARTICLE
A new conifer record from the late Aptian of La Paja Formation from Veléz, Santander (Colombia)
1
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
2
Earth Sciences, Negaunee Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL, USA
3
Grupo de Investigación en Paleobiología e Historia Natural, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia
4
Museo Geológico Nacional José Royo y Gómez, Servicio Geológico Colombiano, Bogotá, Colombia
Submission date: 2025-02-23
Acceptance date: 2025-05-27
Online publication date: 2025-07-28
HIGHLIGHTS
- The La Paja flora at the Los Guayabos section is late Aptian in age.
- Genera like Cupressinocladus, Brachyphyllum, Podozamites, and putative reproductive structures were found.
- The La Paja flora from this locality was deposited in a low-energy marine environment.
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
A new plant assemblage from the La Paja Formation at the Los Guayabos section of Vélez, Santander
(Central Colombia) is described here. Based on ammonite biostratigraphy, the age of the flora is estimated
as late Aptian. The plant remains, found alongside vertebrate and invertebrate fossils, consist exclusively
of conifers, including Cupressinocladus, Brachyphyllum, Podozamites, and putative reproductive structures. The
apparent absence of ferns and putative angiosperms distinguishes the Vélez location from other La Paja localities
and Early Cretaceous floras of Colombia. The plant and associated faunal features suggest deposition in
a low-energy marine environment.
FUNDING
Funding for this work was provided
by the Field Museum (Negaunee Integrative
Research Center) and National Science
Foundation grant DEB-2427396 to FH.
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