Nothofagus from the Dunedin Volcanic Group (Mid — Late Miocene), New Zealand

Abstract

Two species of Nothofagus macrofossils, Nothofagus novaezealandiae and N. pinnata, are redescribed from sediments of late Middle Miocene to early Late Miocene age of the Dunedin Volcanic Province, New Zealand. Examination of leaf architecture and cuticular morphology places N. novaezealandiae in the subgenus Lophozonia (producing menziesii-type pollen), and indicates it was evergreen. N. pinnata was probably also in the subgenus Lophozonia.

Keywords:

• Nothofagus
• palaeobotany
• Miocene
• Lophozonia