Abstrakt
The Pliocene flora of Frankfurt/M, Germany is a key reference flora for the European late Neogene. We summarize most important data and document additional material of foliage recovered after the Second World War, now housed in the department of palaeobotany, Senckenberg Museum at Frankfurt/M. and specimens of the original material housed in the Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm.
Gymnosperms are represented by Ginkgo adiantoides and various conifers (Picea latisquamosa, Larix europaea, Keteleeria loehri, Pinus sp. div., Pseudotsuga, Abies sclereidea, Tsuga europaea, Sequoia abietina, Taxodium dubium, Calocedrus pliocaenica, Sciadopitys tertiaria, Cephalotaxus pliocaenica, Taxus, and Torreya). Angiosperms dominate the assemblage in diversity - Magnolia liblarensis, Sassafras cf. ferretianum, Laurophyllum, Smilax, Fagus kraeuselii, Castanea, Quercus roburoides, Quercus pseudocastanea, Quercus praecastaneifolia, Cercidiphyllum crenatum, Parrotia pristina, Liquidambar europaea, Salix denticulata, Populus balsamoides , Populus populina, Carya, Pterocarya paradisiaca, Carpinus grandis, Corylus , Alnus gaudinii, Betula, Ulmus pyramidalis, Ulmus carpinoides, Zelkova zelkovifolia, Celtis, Eucommia, Gleditsia, Caesalpinites, Malus, Prunus, Crataegus, Rosa, Sorbus, Spiraea, Tilia, Dombeyopsis lobata, Hibiscus cf. splendens, Aesculus, Buxus pliocaenica, Pachysandra, Acer subcampestre, A. platanoides, A.integerrimum, Acer spp., Fraxinus angusta, Trichosanthes, Viscophyllum pliocaenicum, Viscum miquelii, Ilex geissertii and some morphotypes awaiting a more detailed study, e.g."Juglans" acuminata, Dicotylophyllum spp. (cf.
Diospyros, cf. Lonicera, cf.
Styrax). Preliminary palaeoenvironmental data suggest that the flora of Frankfurt represents humid temperate forest vegetation.
Several relict taxa present in the flora have East Asian and to a lesser degree North American biogeographic affinities.