FOSSIL RECORD AND ECOLOGY OF NYSSA (CORNACEAE)

The fossil record of Nyssa is critically reviewed on the basis of repo rts of fruits, wood, and leaves from numerous localities in the Northe rn Hemisphere. Commonly overlooked features of fruit stone morphology, particularly the placement of vascular bundles relative to the surfac e ribs, are used in grouping the fossil fruits and relating them to mo dern taxa. Aspects of the ecology of extant species of Nyssa are also reviewed to highlight factors important in the evolution and dispersal of the genus. Confirmed fossil occurrences document the occurrence of Nyssa already in the Eocene in Europe and North America and by at lea st the Oligocene in Asia.