published by Huang, LL., Jin, JH., Quan, C. et al. Camellia nanningensis sp. nov.: the earliest fossil wood record of the genus Camellia (Theaceae) from East Asia. J Plant Res 129, 823–831 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10265-016-0846-8
A new species Camellia nanningensis was described on the basis of well-preserved mummified wood from the upper Oligocene Yongning Formation of Nanning Basin in Guangxi Province, South China. This represents the most ancient fossil wood assigned to Camellia, and the earliest fossil record of the family Theaceae in China. This fossil material shows that Camellia occurred in China as early as the late Oligocene, suggesting more ancient radiation of this genus than estimated by molecular dating.
Systematics
Family: Theaceae.
Genus: Camellia L.
Species: Camellia nanningensis Huang, Jin, Quan et Oskolski sp. nov.
Etymology: The specific epithet is named for the Nanning Basin.
Holotype: NNW006.
Paratype: NNW008.
Repository: The Museum of Biology of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Stratigraphic horizon: Yongning Formation, upper Oligocene.
Locality: Nanning Basin, Guangxi Province, South China.
