Tinospora wilkinsonii

Tinospora wilkinsonii

Chandler, 1961

Fossil group Plants
Order Ranunculales
Family Menispermaceae
Genus Tinospora
Taxonomic status Accepted
Geological age Ypresian

Summary

Tinospora wilkinsonii was an early Eocene member of the moonseed family known from the hard inner stone of its fruit. Living Tinospora are woody climbers in tropical and subtropical forests, so a climbing habit is a reasonable comparison for the fossil species, although no attached London Clay stems or leaves demonstrate the growth form directly.

The endocarp was deeply boat-shaped and strongly ornamented, forming a tough protective case around the seed. Compared with Tinospora excavata it was larger and carried much more prominent spines, while the style was especially conspicuous in ventral view. These reproductive structures make the fruit distinctive even though the rest of the plant is unknown.

Quick Identification

Look for: a deeply boat-shaped Tinospora fruit stone that is larger and much more strongly spined than Tinospora excavata, with a conspicuously prominent style visible in ventral view.

Diagnostic Features

  • Endocarp is deeply boat-shaped.
  • Fruit stone is larger overall than the closely similar Tinospora excavata.
  • External surface carries conspicuous, comparatively large spines rather than the much finer ornament of T. excavata.
  • Style is strongly developed and especially prominent in ventral view.
  • Overall endocarp construction otherwise closely resembles T. excavata, making size, spine development and style prominence important together.

Fossil Details

Fossil material
Fruit
Preservation
The projecting spines and style are vulnerable to abrasion and breakage, so rolled or incomplete specimens can appear much less distinctive. Species-level identification should use the boat-shaped profile together with the scale of the ornament and preservation of the prominent style; worn material may overlap with Tinospora excavata.

Similar Species

Recorded Fossil Sites

No fossil-site occurrences have yet been recorded for this species.

References

  • Eliise Kara; Jérémie Bardin; Dario De Franceschi; Cédric Del Rio. (2024). Fossil endocarps of Menispermaceae from the late Paleocene of Paris Basin, France. Journal of Systematics and Evolution, 62(4), 809–828 View reference
  • Joaquin S. Rico; Ruth A. Stockey; Gar W. Rothwell; Graham Beard. (2026). A New Genus of Permineralized Eocene Fruits: Menispermaceae (Chasmantheroideae) from Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. International Journal of Plant Sciences, 187(3), 229–241 View reference
  • Lian Lian; Rosa Del C. Ortiz; Florian Jabbour; Zhi-Duan Chen; Wei Wang. (2019). Re-delimitation of Tinospora (Menispermaceae): Implications for character evolution and historical biogeography. Taxon, 68(5), 905–917 View reference
Last Reviewed
27 August 2026 Reviewed by Sam Harris