FOSSIL WOOD FLORA FROM THE LOWER MIOCENE YANAGIDA FORMATION, NOTO PENINSULA, CENTRAL JAPAN

Silicified woods from the lower Miocene Yanagida Formation were collec ted from two sites, Mawaki and Uchiura, in the northeastern Note Penin sula, central Japan. Among 80 specimens, 15 species representing 13 fa milies were identified, including six new species: Torreya mioxyla (Ta xaceae), Castanopsis uchiuraensis (Fagaceae), Camellia japonoxyla (The aceae), Stewartia notoensis (Theaceae), Distylium chiharu-hirayae (Ham amelidaceae) and Aesculus mioxyla (Hippocastanaceae). The fossil wood floras from these two sites contain evergreen and deciduous dicotyledo ns and have a similar composition. These floras are compared to the fo ssil wood flora from Monzen and to the Daijima-type compression fossil flora. The composition of the fossil wood floras of Mawaki and Uchiur a suggests they represent a mixed mesic forest of conifers, deciduous dicotyledons and evergreen dicotyledons.