Pinus yorkshirensis
| Pinus yorkshirensis Temporal range: Early Cretaceous,
| |
|---|---|
| The holotype before it was destroyed | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Gymnospermae |
| Division: | Pinophyta |
| Class: | Pinopsida |
| Order: | Pinales |
| Family: | Pinaceae |
| Genus: | Pinus |
| Subgenus: | P. subg. Pinus |
| Species: | †P. yorkshirensis
|
| Binomial name | |
| †Pinus yorkshirensis Ryberg et al., 2012
| |
Pinus yorkshirensis is an extinct species of pine tree. The fossil pine cone came from Hauterivian and Barremian-aged sedimentary rocks located in the Speeton Clay Formation in Yorkshire (hence the species epithet).[1]
Discovery and naming
The type specimen of Pinus yorkshirensis, BiRUG BU4737, was discovered during a field trip with the University of Birmingham to the Speeton Clay Formation. It is one of four known fossil pine cones from Europe and it was found within a weathered concretion that had split into seven fragments. It was 5 million years older than the previous record holder, Pinus belgica.[2]
The fossil was destroyed for science so scientists could study the fossil in more detail. All that remains are a few microscope slides and a single image.[1] They are currently housed at Lapworth Museum of Geology.[3]
Pinus yorkshirensis was named and described by Ryberg et al. (2012).[2]
Description
The preserved cones of P. yorkshirensis are conical in shape.[4]
References
- ^ a b Hilton, Jason; Riding, James B.; Rothwell, Gar W. (2016-08-01). "Age and identity of the oldest pine fossils: COMMENT". Geology. 44 (8): e400 – e401. doi:10.1130/g38050c.1. ISSN 1943-2682.
- ^ a b Patricia E. Ryberg; Gar W. Rothwell; Ruth A. Stockey; Jason Hilton; Gene Mapes; James B. Riding (2012). "Reconsidering Relationships among Stem and Crown Group Pinaceae: Oldest Record of the Genus Pinus from the Early Cretaceous of Yorkshire, United Kingdom". International Journal of Plant Sciences. 173 (8): 917–932. doi:10.1086/667228. S2CID 85402168.
- ^ "Pinus yorkshirensis - Object of the Month". University of Birmingham. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
- ^ Bazhenova, N. V.; Bazhenov, A. V.; Tekleva, M. V.; Resvyi, A. S. (2023). "New Representative of Pinus L. from Jurassic Deposits of Belgorod Region, Russia". Paleontological Journal. 57 (1): 102–119. doi:10.1134/s0031030123010033. ISSN 0031-0301.