LATE CRETACEOUS MACROFLORAS OF EASTERN OTAGO, NEW-ZEALAND - GYMNOSPERMS

Six new coniferous fossils are described from the Late Cretaceous of e astern Otago, New Zealand. These include two new species of Araucaria, A. desmondii, for which a new section, Perpendicula is erected, and A . taieriensis. Syntypes of Dammara oweni Ettingsh. and D. uninervis Et tingsh. are illustrated and concluded to be a single species of Arauca ria, A. oweni. The diagnosis of Araucarioides Bigwood & Hill is emende d and a new species, A. falcata (the first record of this genus from N ew Zealand) is described. Podozamites taenioides Cantrill is also plac ed into Araucarioides. Two new genera and species of Podocarpaceae are described, Kaia minuta and Katikia inordinata. A new genus and specie s, Otakauia lanceolata, is described and placed in the Taxodiaceae. Th e type specimen of Sequoia novae-zeelandiae Ettingsh. (Taxodiaceae) is re-examined and its cuticle described for the first time. its identit y is confirmed, but it is placed in Sequoiadendron which follows a mor e recent nomenclatural change involving extant species. A range of mor e poorly preserved conifer material is illustrated. The original veget ation grew in near-polar latitudes and would have experienced long per iods of winter-darkness.