OLIGOCENE LEAVES OF EPACRIDACEAE FROM LITTLE-RAPID RIVER, TASMANIA, AND THE IDENTIFICATION OF FOSSIL EPACRIDACEAE LEAVES

The leaves of most Epacridaceae have distinctive combinations of shape , venation and cuticular morphology. Some groups of genera, but few ge nera or species, also have distinctive combinations of leaf traits. Tw o new genera, Epacriphyllum and Richeaphyllum, are proposed for fossil leaves which can be clearly attributed to tribe Epacrideae and subfam ily Richeoideae respectively, but cannot be assigned to extant genera due to lack of information. Two new species of Epacriphyllum and one o f Richeaphyllum are proposed from Oligocene sediments at Little Rapid River, western Tasmania. Leaves which are probably of the tribe Styphe lieae also occur in these sediments. These are the earliest macrofossi l records of the family, and confirm that two large phylogenetic group s within the family had differentiated by this time. A key to groups o f epacridaceous genera is given to assist the identification of fossil leaves.