THE FIRST RECORD OF LARIX FROM THE BRITISH PLEISTOCENE

The first British Pleistocene record of Larix (Larch) is described fro m the Brays Pit near Mathon in the English West Midlands. This new rec ord is the most westerly from the European Pleistocene and is also bey ond the western limit of the distribution of any extant species of Lar ix within Europe. Today there are no native species of Larix in the Br itish Isles. The fossil remains comprise of macrofossils and pollen, w hich are not, however, well enough preserved to allow determination to species level. The fluvial sediments which yielded the fossils were p robably deposited in the early Anglian Stage or possibly during an ear lier Pleistocene event.