''Sapindopsis'' ("''Sapindus''-like") is an extinct form genus for leaves of the

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of ...

Period, originally considered similar to soapberry. Associated reproductive structures now suggest it was more closely related to planes and sycamores of the family

Platanaceae Platanaceae, the "plane-tree family", is a family of flowering plants in the order Proteales. The family consists of only a single extant genus ''Platanus'', with eight known species. The plants are tall trees, native to temperate and subtrop ...

Description

In the form generic system of

paleobotany Paleobotany, which is also spelled as palaeobotany, is the branch of botany dealing with the recovery and identification of plant remains from geological contexts, and their use for the biological reconstruction of past environments (paleogeog ...

''Sapindopsis'' is used only for leaves, which are compound with three to six leaflets. Leaflets vary in distinctness or confluence with the midrib. The venation is pinnate, eucamptodromous to brochidodromus, with percurrent tertiary veins.

Distribution and species

''Sapindopsis'' was geographically widespread from Asia to North America. Species include: *†''

Sapindopsis magnifolia ''Sapindopsis'' ("''Sapindus''-like") is an extinct form genus for leaves of the Cretaceous Period, originally considered similar to soapberry. Associated reproductive structures now suggest it was more closely related to planes and sycamores of ...

'' (Fontaine) Dilcher and Basson 1990 (

type Type may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc. * Data type, collection of values used for computations. * File type * TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file. * Ty ...

), from the

Potomac Group The Potomac Group is a geologic group in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia. It preserves fossils dating back to the Cretaceous period. An indeterminate tyrannosauroid and '' Priconodon crassus'', a nodosaurid, are known from indetermin ...

, Early Cretaceous (Barremian) of Virginia, USA *†''

Sapindopsis anhouryi ''Sapindopsis'' ("''Sapindus''-like") is an extinct form genus for leaves of the Cretaceous Period, originally considered similar to soapberry. Associated reproductive structures now suggest it was more closely related to planes and sycamores of ...

'' Dilcher and Basson 1990, from the Sannine Formation, mid-Cretaceous (Cenomanian) of Namoura, Lebanon. *†''

Sapindopsis asiaticus ''Sapindopsis'' ("''Sapindus''-like") is an extinct form genus for leaves of the Cretaceous Period, originally considered similar to soapberry. Associated reproductive structures now suggest it was more closely related to planes and sycamores of ...

'' Golovneva and Sun 2022, from the Krivorechenskaya Formation (upper

Albian The Albian is both an age of the geologic timescale and a stage in the stratigraphic column. It is the youngest or uppermost subdivision of the Early/Lower Cretaceous Epoch/ Series. Its approximate time range is 113.0 ± 1.0 Ma to 100.5 ± ...

-lower

Turonian The Turonian is, in the ICS' geologic timescale, the second age in the Late Cretaceous Epoch, or a stage in the Upper Cretaceous Series. It spans the time between 93.9 ± 0.8 Ma and 89.8 ± 1 Ma (million years ago). The Turonian is preceded ...

) of Russia. *†''

Sapindopsis chinensis ''Sapindopsis'' ("''Sapindus''-like") is an extinct form genus for leaves of the Cretaceous Period, originally considered similar to soapberry. Associated reproductive structures now suggest it was more closely related to planes and sycamores of ...

'' Golovneva and Sun 2022, from the Dalazi Formation of China and Alchan Formation of Russia (upper Albian) *†''

Sapindopsis orientalis ''Sapindopsis'' ("''Sapindus''-like") is an extinct form genus for leaves of the Cretaceous Period, originally considered similar to soapberry. Associated reproductive structures now suggest it was more closely related to planes and sycamores of ...

'' Golovneva and Sun 2022, from the Frentsevka Formation of Russia. *†''

Sapindopsis powelliana ''Sapindopsis'' ("''Sapindus''-like") is an extinct form genus for leaves of the Cretaceous Period, originally considered similar to soapberry. Associated reproductive structures now suggest it was more closely related to planes and sycamores of ...

'' (Lesquereux) Wang and Dilcher 2018, from the

Dakota Formation The Dakota is a sedimentary rock, sedimentary geologic unit name of Formation (stratigraphy), formation and Group (stratigraphy), group rank in Midwestern North America. The Dakota units are generally composed of sandstones, mudstones, clays, and ...

, mid-Cretaceous (Cenomanian) of Kansas, USA. '' Distefananthus hoisingtonensis'' (Huegele and Wang 2022) may represent the

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed ...

of the same species. *†''

Sapindopsis retallackii ''Sapindopsis'' ("''Sapindus''-like") is an extinct form genus for leaves of the Cretaceous Period, originally considered similar to soapberry. Associated reproductive structures now suggest it was more closely related to planes and sycamores of ...

'' Wang and Dilcher 2018, from the

, mid-Cretaceous (Cenomanian) of Kansas, USA *†''

Sapindopsis variabilis ''Sapindopsis'' ("''Sapindus''-like") is an extinct form genus for leaves of the Cretaceous Period, originally considered similar to soapberry. Associated reproductive structures now suggest it was more closely related to planes and sycamores of ...

'' Fontaine 1889, from the

Patapsco Formation The Patapsco Formation is a geologic formation of varigated clays, sandy clays, and sand in Virginia, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and in the subsurface of New Jersey. It preserves fossils such as plants and molluscs ...

, Early Cretaceous (Barremian) of Virginia, USA

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q59192208 Cretaceous plants Prehistoric angiosperm genera Platanaceae