Acta Palaeobotanica 43(1): 9–49, 2003

Early Miocene carpological material from the Czech part of the Zittau Basin

Summary: The studied carpological material has been obtained from several cores which are situated in the Czech part of the Zittau Basin. Two conifers and 39 angiosperms (including 5 taxa with uncertain systematic position) have been identified from different stratigraphical levels of the above mentioned cores, which stratigraphically belong to the roof of the basal coal seam, the lower, middle and upper coal seams and their adjacent clastic deposits. According to the floristic analysis, assemblages of the lower, middle and upper coal seams are comsparable with the Floristic Assemblage Eichelskopf Wiesa of Early Miocene age. Vegetation is comparable with the extant Mixed Mesophytic forests from SE Asia. The basal coal seam is not dated by macroscopic remains, the occurrence of the Oligocene index microfossil Boehlensipollis hohli W. Kr. is noteworthy.

Keywords: fruits, seeds, Early Miocene, the Zittau Basin, Czech Republic