Early angiosperms from Lower Cretaceous of Jixi, China and their significance for study of the earliest occurrence of angiosperms in the world

Abstract

This paper reports the recent study of the earliest known angiosperms in the world found from the Lowe Cretaceous of Jixi, China, and first demonstrates the general information on the oldest known Inflorescences Xingxueina heilongfiangensis Sun et Dilcher (MS) contained in the Jixi early angiosperms. The inflorescences possess numerous pollens in situ, very small, inaperturate and tectate-columellate in exine, and can be compared to those from Valanginian-Hauterivian of Israel studied by Brenner (1995). Based on the comparison and on the marine beds, yielding Valanginian-Hauterivian dinoflagellates, underlying conformably the angiosperm-bearing beds the Jixi angiosperms are considered Hauterivian or Hauterivian-Early Barremian in age. The paper has also discussed the findings of the angiosperm-like or questionable angiosperm material newly from China and previously from Mongolia, proposed there might exist an original centre of angiosperms in East Asia. However, it would not be excluded that there were two original centres (East Asia and Eastern Gondwanaland) where the earliest angiosperms evolved and developed in parallel during the early time of Early Cretaceous.