TAXODIOXYLON-GYPSACEUM AS PARENT BOTANICAL SPECIES OF 2 LIGNITES OF CENTRAL ITALY

Studies were carried out on samples of lignite from two quarries at Pi etrafitta and Bastardo. They are located in Central Italy not far from the fossil forest of Dunarobba, which was made up of the species Taxo dioxylon gypsaceum. Chemotaxonomy on the samples provided the opportun ity to decide whether the constituting material of their amorphous bul k is the same as that of the fossil forest or whether they derived fro m the hardwood species randomly found within the quarries. The identif ication was carried out by means of residual terpenes recovered by ste am distillation and analyzed using the GC-MS technique. The terpenes o f Pietrafitta were closely related to those supplied by trunks of Duna robba, while terpenes from Bastardo showed the same enrichment exhibit ed by Taxodioxylon gypsaceum findings at Wackerdorf (Germany). The bul k material of both lignites results, therefore, as having been made up of Taxodioxylon gypsaceum and hardwood trunks merely represent intrus ions. The identification allows to outline the importance and distribu tion of this species during the Pliocene period in Central Italy and C entral Europe. The use of chemotaxonomy for more degraded samples, how ever, becomes more difficult and further information is needed.