Plant macrofossils from the Foulden Hills Diatomite (Miocene), Central Otago, New Zealand

Abstract

Twenty eight taxa of angiosperm fossils are described from the Early Miocene (c. 20 Ma) Foulden Hills Diatomite, not far from Dunedin, New Zealand. Some leaves include cuticle, and this has sometimes facilitated identification. Families confidently identified include Euphorbiaceae, Lauraceae, Myrsinaceae, Myrtaceae, Sapindaceae, and Smilacaceae, and, less confidently, Cunoniaceae and/or Elaeocarpaceae, Hernandiaceae, Leguminosae, Meliaceae or Rutaceae, Sterculiaceae, Tiliaceae, and Winteraceae. There is a notable absence of Nothofagus macrofossils, and only a single conifer, a broad‐leaved Podocarpus. The original community was probably moderately diverse and growing on a nutrient‐rich substrate. Floristics and climate were probably similar to northern New South Wales and southern Queensland today.