When first described, L. magnifica was placed in the family Hamamelidaceae, commonly known as the witch-hazel family,[4] by Wolfe and Wehr. This placement was later questioned and the genus was subsequently reclassified by Indah Huegele and Steven Manchester (2022) as a member of the plane tree family Platanaceae.[5]
Description
The simple leaves of Langeria magnifica are generally pinnate in venation with an overall ovate to elliptical shape and an apex that is notably pointed. The petiole can reach lengths of up to 6 cm (2.4 in) The margin of the leaf has evenly spaced, distinct hook-shaped teeth with rounded sinuses separating them.[2] The teeth are entered by a secondary vein or by a veinlet from the loop of a secondary vein. The primary vein has between ten and twelve secondary veins diverging from it at low angles toward the apex and getting higher in angle towards the base. The simple or forking tertiary veins diverge from the 0.3–0.5 cm (0.12–0.20 in) apart, and the quaternary ones form a coarse reticulated pattern surrounding the areoles.[2]
References
^Dillhoff, R.M.; Leopold, E.B.; Manchester, S.R. (2005). "The McAbee flora of British Columbia and its relations to the Early-Middle Eocene Okanagan Highlands flora of the Pacific Northwest". Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 42 (2): 151–166. Bibcode:2005CaJES..42..151D. doi:10.1139/e04-084.
^ abcdefWolfe, J.A.; Wehr, W.C. (1987). "Middle Eocene dicotyledonous plants from Republic, northeastern Washington". United States Geological Survey Bulletin. 1597: 1–25.
^Greenwood, D.R.; Archibald, S.B.; Mathewes, R.W; Moss, P.T. (2005). "Fossil biotas from the Okanagan Highlands, southern British Columbia and northeastern Washington State: climates and ecosystems across an Eocene landscape". Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 42 (2): 167–185. Bibcode:2005CaJES..42..167G. doi:10.1139/E04-100.
^Huegele, I. B.; Manchester, S. R. (2022). "Newly Recognized Reproductive Structures Linked with Langeria from the Eocene of Washington, USA, and their Affinities with Platanaceae". International Journal of Plant Sciences. 183 (5): 367–379. doi:10.1086/720138.