Ra. Askin et Am. Baldoni, The Santonian through paleogene record of proteaceae in the southern SouthAmerica-Antarctic peninsula region, AUST SYST B, 11(3-4), 1998, pp. 373-390
Proteaceous plants were an important component of the high-latitude Late Cr
etaceous-Paleogene podocarpaceous conifer and Nothofagus forest vegetation
growing in high-rainfall temperate conditions. In the southern South Americ
a-Antarctic Peninsula region the fossil record of the Proteaceae comprises
pollen, leaves, fruits and wood with affinities to the extant subfamilies G
revilleoideae, Proteoideae, and possibly Carnarvonioideae and Persoonioidea
e. The oldest reported occurrences of Proteaceae in this region are in the
middle-late Santonian of the Antarctic Peninsula and include pollen of Prot
eacidites subscabratus Couper, with the addition in the Campanian of other
species of Proteacidites and Propylipollis, Cranwellipollis spp. and Penins
ulapollis spp. Diversity of proteaceous pollen increased through the Campan
ian and Maastrichtian, reflecting the spread of Proteaceae along the Antarc
tic Peninsula and into South America. Both endemic species and species deri
ved from the Australian region are represented. Compared to coeval Australi
an assemblages, however, proteaceous diversity remained relatively low. Int
erestingly, Beauprea-type species (Beaupreaidites spp., Peninsulapollis spp
.) are common and varied in the Antarctic Peninsula from Campanian into the
Eocene, yet the South American pollen record does not include these forms,
except for rare Peninsulapollis gillii. Possibly drier conditions may have
discouraged northward migration of this group. South American fossil prote
aceous taxa are primarily related to Grevilleoideae, a trend that continues
into the modern flora on that continent.