HIPPOCRATEA VOLUBILIS (CELASTRACEAE) IN COTUI COPAL FROM THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

2013·2.6 MB·English

by  George O Poinar

COPAL
COTUl
(CELASTRACEAE)
HIPPOCRATEA VOLUBILIS IN
FROM THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
L
Chambers
Kenton
George
O. Poinar,
Jr.
376
Published estimates of the age of Cotui copal have ranged from Miocene young
to as as 1000 ybp
or
less.
Our
conclusion that the Hippocratea flowers are assignable to the extant species H. volubilis strongly
supports
the latter, younger age, which was obtained from carbon-14 dating in 2 laboratories (“Beta
Analytic”
in
the
United States and “Harz aus dem Tennengebirge” Germany).
in
Hippocratea pollen is well represented in the fossil record (Muller hut our knowledge
1981), to
these
are
the first fossil flowers of the genus to be discovered.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The
specimens were collected from the upper 8 inches Zambrana
of Abajo near Los Ranchos
soil at in the
vicinity
of Cotui, a village located in a valley between the Cordillera Central and
Cordillera Septentrional, Dominican
The
Republic. material with Many
is clear a yellow tinge. samples are collected by children who follow theplows
during
the planting of maize (personal correspondence from
the late Jake Brodzinsky, 20 September
1987).
The
age of from
fossilized resin Cotui
is unclear. Because of its light color and fairly soft texture, has
it
been
referred to as copal, a term used
for semi-fossilized
resin that possesses specific physical properties
re-
lated to color, hardness, melting and
point,
solubility (Poinar 1992). Age estimates range from under 1000
nee
spectroscopy
(Lambert
et al. 2012). In support of the older age was the discovery, in the
copal, of several
1999).
Comparing
the maturity
of
fossilized resins with
that of their enclosing bedrock can provide information
on
the
maturity, and
relative age, biostratinomy of amber and
copal. Such a study was conducted on amber and
Cotut copal from mines &
different in the Dominican
Republic
(Poinar Mastalerz 2000). Maturity of the bed-
rock was
determined by
vitrinite and
reflection
that of the fossilized resin by FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared
The
Analysis). study found
that Cotui showed
copal
a lower degree of maturity than that of the matrix rock,
indicating had
that been washedinto
it
the older bedrock
and
fairly recently probably representsdeltaicdepos-
us. Further
analysis of Cotui
copal
revealed
that the plant source was Hymenaea (Mas-
of the resin courbaril
&
talerz Poinar, unpublished
observations),
a
tree species that on
still exists Hispaniola.
^ sepals
5,
nTn shallowly cupulate
(Fig. 2),
ola^Tm
^
blunt-tipped, spreading,
abaxially petals
papillate, 5,
mm
mm
llaanncceeoollaattee-elhptic, 2
ellint’ 2.1 long,
1.2 wide, «-
7-9-nerved,
slightly overlapping the base (Fig. 5), tip
at
cu^ed,abaxialsurfacetomentulose
with
short, curved
trichomes,adaxm^
T
r L and dis-
otherwise glabrous
d d
mctlyvemeddownwardtothebase(Figs.l,4,5),marginscilia^^^^^^^^^
mtn
1.7
high,
1 2) disc 1.3
"7
(Fig^ 1.
above the mid-line
the^uScTdr^r ’
3)
mm
0.5
O^mm recurved filaments
(Figs.
biiH d 1, 3, 4),
mlrngplZ™"
discussion
For
the purpose
of comparison, we
assumed
that and
Hippocratea
Central
which
volubilis, widespread in
is
South
America and
the Caribbean
re:gion,
is likely to be
the extant species most closely related to the fossil-
377
by Matthews
elongated as illustrated
style,
The
and Endress (2005, 49, 50). adaxial
figs.
pubescence of the petals consists of a con-
spicuous band or arc of villous trichomes,
pubes-
which essentially similar to the
is
herbarium specimens of H.
cence pattern in
Such trichomes were, in fact, cited
volubilis.
by Smith 357) as a diagnostic
(op. cit., p.
genus. The petals of the flowers
of the
trait
from photographs to be slightly con-
appear
shows
microscopic study
but careful
nate,
The
disc
them be basally imbricate. floral
to
upper and lower segments,
divided into
is
from Smith’s illustration of H.
thus differing
However, similar
357).
volubilis (op. cit., p.
present in herbari-
2-parted discs are often
um including
specimens of that species,
&
many from the Caribbean region. In A. P.
Rico (US2996523),
Puerto
30929,
Liogier
and lower
upper disc seg-
example, the
for
with both
ments are sharply differentiated,
our In
as in fossils.
being papillate,
parts
Honduras
Morton 7839,
both
C.V.
&
Howard
and 9817,
E.S.
R.S.
(US202361)
on
(US2228804), the
Republic
Dominican
upper half of the disc is
hand, the
other
The upper section of the disc is
lower half.
narrow papillate
reduced a
sometimes to
D.K. Christo-
anthers
band below the (e.g.,
A
NY
pecu-
Puerto Rico).
pher 69, s.n.,
et al.
mod-
pubescence in both the
petal
of
liarity
zone of papil-
em that a
and flowers is
fossil
may may not be present
or
trichomes
late
band
adaxial of villous tri-
the
proximal to
in Fig. al-
This illustrated 1,
chomes. is
though
In the '’^S-'’0^)Se'UsH.v.««Us.HeUn.«ea.HU
conservative
tj
Everglades of
as the
north as far
extends
^ontothe
and peduncle in the Cotui fos-
androecium,
& penar disc,
Rorida pubescence ol
(Long The
Lakela 1971). specimens of H.
herbarium
available
observed in
ve
that
variauon ’
sils, as described within the
above, within the
falls are
parts in the fossils
of floral
sizes
the
and width,
volubilis. With length
the exception of petal shorter (2.1
The petals are slightly
360).
p.
(op. cit.,
descnptio 1
^nges
species
given Smith’s
for H. in
volubilis

379
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