Langtonia bisulcata
Langtonia bisulcata
View age-specific evidence and explanation
| Age | Recorded Occurrences | Localities | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ypresian | 2 | 2 | Not yet established |
These counts describe published LBPS Occurrence records with directly assigned, unambiguous geological-unit mappings—not specimen abundance. Records at restricted Localities and ambiguous or unsupported ages are excluded. Species-level age labels are not used as proof of an age-specific Occurrence.
Specimen-based rarity requires comparable, correctly identified physical fossils, geological provenance and publication permissions. It does not estimate your chance of finding a fossil or collecting access.
Quick Identification
Look for: an elongate, generally smooth to shallowly ridged mastixioid stone about 9–20 mm long with two locules; CT or sectioning reveals two dorsal infolds in each locule, producing a distinctive ε-shaped cross-section.
Summary
Langtonia bisulcata was an early Eocene mastixioid plant known from elongate fruits with two seed chambers, although one chamber was often reduced or abortive. The woody endocarp formed a protective case around the seeds and opened along long germination valves.
Its most unusual feature is hidden inside the fruit: each seed cavity has two dorsal infolds, creating an epsilon-shaped outline in cross-section. This distinctive architecture is unlike the simpler curved locules of other London Clay mastixioids and provides a strong anatomical clue even when the outer fruit tissues have been lost.
Diagnostic Features
- Fruit is elongate-ellipsoidal and about 9–20 mm long.
- Endocarp is bilocular, although one locule is commonly reduced or abortive.
- Each locule has two dorsal infolds, producing a characteristic epsilon-shaped transverse outline.
- Each seed chamber is associated with an elongate germination valve.
- Endocarp is strongly fibrous and is surrounded, where preserved, by relatively thin mesocarp and epicarp.
Fossil Details
Recorded Fossil Sites
London Clay Formation
References
- Steven R. Manchester; Margaret E. Collinson. (2022). Mastixioid fruits (Cornales) from the early Eocene London Clay Flora: morphology, anatomy and nomenclatural revision. Fossil Imprint, 78(1), 310–328 View reference
