[Report] Eocene lantern fruits from Gondwanan Patagonia and the early origins of Solanaceae

We report 52.2-million-year-old lantern fruits from terminal-Gondwanan Patagonia, featuring highly inflated, five-lobed calyces, as a newly identified species of the derived, diverse New World genus Physalis (e.g., groundcherries and tomatillos). The fossils are considerably older than corresponding molecular divergence dates and demonstrate an ancient history for the inflated calyx syndrome. The derived position of these early Eocene fossils shows that Solanaceae were well diversified long before final Gondwanan breakup.
Authors: Peter Wilf, Mónica R. Carvalho, María A. Gandolfo, N. Rubén Cúneo

Source: ScienceNOW - January 5, 2017 Category: Science Authors: Peter Wilf Source Type: news