1ST DISCOVERY OF THE EARLIEST ANGIOSPERMOUS MEGAFOSSILS IN THE WORLD

The first discovery of the earliest angiospermous megafossils, so far in the world, was made by the authors from the Lower Cretaceous Chengz ihe Formation of Jixi Basin, eastern Heilongjiang Province, China. Amo ng the angiospermous fossils there are 5 species belonging to 5 genera (including 4 gen. et sp. nov.) reported in this paper. Their microphy llous leaves with irregular venations show the characteristics of some primitive angiosperms whose age is mostly corresponding to the late H auterivian-early Barremian, partly proved by the underlying conformabl y marine beds with the Valanginian-Hauterivian dino-flagellates reveal ed newly also by the authors.