Lauraceous leaves from the Eocene of Nerriga, New South Wales

Abstract

A study of extant leaves of the Lauraceae and the results of previous research show that fossil leaves can be placed with confidence in the family, but that leaf morphology within the family is so variable that with few exceptions more detailed affinities are impossible to determine. A review of the taxonomic literature reveals that Laurophyllum Goeppert has priority as the generic name for fossil leaves belonging to the Lauraceae. Twelve species from the Eocene Nerriga locality are assigned to Laurophyllum. This represents 44% of species described from Nerriga, compared with 46% for the Middle Eocene Claiborne Formation in North America. Therefore it is possible that the Lauraceae was a widespread and dominant family in the Eocene. The leaf species from Nerriga represent a wide diversity of leaf morphologies which suggests that they may not be closely related within the family.