Origin of the Cathaysia flora in Asia

Abstract

Some obvious changes in floral components of the Cathaysia area occurred during the transition from Early Carboniferous to Late Carboniferous, which resulted in extinctions of many typical plant elements of the Lepidodendropsis flora, and began occurrences of a number of forerunners of the Cathaysia flora. Therefore, the Cathaysia flora did not originate from the Euramerica flora; it derived from the global identical Lepidodendropsis flora of the Early Carboniferous. From the beginning of the Namurian A, the Cathaysia flora gradually separates from the Lepidodendropsis flora. It can be recognized as an independent flora in the early Late Carboniferous (Namurian B to C). The flora is characterized by a variety of oriental species of lycopods and many endemic elements of ferns and pteridosperms, etc. It ranges from the beginning of early Late Carboniferous to the end of Permian.