Trans. Proc. PaNeont Soc. Japan. RS., No. 14, pp. 155-158,Pl. 20. Aug. 15, 1954
249.
DISCOVERY
OF NELUMBO
FROM THE ASUWA
(UPPER CRETACEOUS)
IN FUKUI PREFECTURE
INNER SIDE OF CENTRAL JAPAN*
FlIDEKUNI
FLORA
IN THE
MATSUO
Kanazawa University
足 弱植 物 群 で の ハ ス の 発 見:足弱
植物 群(上
部白〓 系)か
らハ ス の葉 片Nelumbo orientalic
(新種)を 発 見し,記 載 を試 み た。産出 地 は福 井 県合立 郡 上 池 田 村 皿尾 。 こ の新種 は東亜 最古 の 記 載
(種て あ る と思 は れ る と同時に,足弱植物群を
新 羅統上部,アラ
ス カの上 部白〓系植物群と 対 比 す る
のに重 要な役 割 を演 じてい る。
松尾
秀
邦
Introductory
leaf
Lotus-leaves
have not hitherto
been
discovered in the Cretaceous
Flora of
to
Oct.
10. 1953:
received
Dec.
21.
the
Alaska
and
France4)
the
Cretaceous
Then,
of
the
the
correlation
It
of
at
generally
the
recent
GAERTIN)
of
from
China
Dr.
T.
our
in
ancient
155
in
the
the
was
lotus
seeds
South
imported
time,
origin
Dr.
I.
OGA
on
Chiba
is
and
,
the
Pu-lan-tien
Manchuria,
(ŒŸŒ©•ì),
is
theory
researches
from
it
having
monogenetic
his
while
that
of
However,
of
Japan
nucifera
maintains
basis
Region.
in
ancient
place
for
Cretaceous
Arctic
country
IVIrout.co's
species
useful
(Nelumbo
an
India.
the
Kimikawa
upper
in
be
considered
its
of
some-
fossil
the
MARINO
in
sceptic
of
to
lotus
monogenetic,
been
that
during
prove
least
is
that
to
thought
time.
may
formations
floras
America
region
occurrences
Nelunthe
known
originated
Arctic
is
According
once
Nelumbo
in
upper
are
North
HEER
genus
as
eastern
Cretaceous
Peninsula,
paper.5)
where
1955
upper
southern
the
far
Outside
lotus-leaves
in
ENoo's
as
writer.
however,
of
on
Asia,
the
occur
)
Read
eastern
to
Asia,
Japan, although they have been known
from the l'alaeogene
formations
of
some coal-mines in Kyusyu, Hokkaido
and Saghalien
(the basal part of Neogene).
These have been described
by
Prof. S. ENDO (1931) by the name of
Nelumbo nipponica.1) And this species
has been reported
by Dr. II. YAIIII
(1944) from the Ube coal-field, Tama.
guchi Prefecture2)
Meanwhile, the occurrence
of Ncluntbo sp. has
been
reported
by Prof. 1. TATEI VA (1934)
from Korea3)
The material
was collected by S. SIIIMAMURAfrom the uppermost part of the Shiragi Series (Upper
Cretaceous
deposits)
at the Chinan
district, North-Zenra-Do, southern Korea.
However its paleontological
description
has not been
published
until
now.
Therefore, this new species of Asuwa
Flora is the oldest remains of the lotus*
in
known
(ft
from
•¬“X
Prefecture,
156
Hidelcum
in the
vicinity
of Tokyo,
which
are
believed
to be ca. 2,000 years
old.
According
to. his opinion
the
ancient
lotus
and
therecent
Neltonbo
are
synonymous
: taking
the occurrences
of
lotus in the Japanese
Islands
and Manchuria
where ancient forms
are known
origin,
instead
of the monogenetic
in
India.
The oldest lotus of the Far East
new species for which
the writer
is a
pro-
posed the name
will be described
and
Neltanbo
below.
orientalis
MATSuo
Geological
Notes
The fossil leaves dealt with in this
note were discovered in the abandoned
debris of a closed mine (activity
in
1943-46), near the village of Sarao,
Kami-ikeda-Mura,
Imadate-Gun,
Fukui
Prefecture,
These debris were derived
without doubt from a formation of alternating beds with fine tuffaceous sandstone and some dark coloured calcareous
shale.
The rock specimen containing
three leaves of Nelumbo orientalis nov. sp.
The writer is of opinion that the Tetori Flora should he limited within the iteshiro
Group,7) because this group is a deposit of a land facies, and its basal part contains
boulders of rocks of the lower horizon of the Karol-on Group which is of the marine
facies.
The correlation of the bed with the Asuwa Flora with the Taishu Group of Is..
Tsushima is based on the fact that the rock characters of the Sarao formation resembins those of this group, containing a tuffitedike rock-and a tuffaceous coarse sandstone
(this sandstone seems to coincide with TATEIwn's " Bed. intercalated by quartzporphyry").
*福 井 県 今 立 郡 上 池 田村 皿 尾
.
Discovery of Neletmbo from the Asuwa Flora (Upper Cretaceous)
together
with
Sequoian
twigs
is a
compact tuffaceous shale, which belonging to the Sarao formation**
of the
upper Cretaceous deposits of Hokuriku
region, on the Japan Sea side of Central
Japan.
These upper Cretaceous deposits contain abundant
plant fossils, as
the
writer in cooperation
with S. BMA,
reported
to the Geological Society of
Japan on the occasion of its 60th Anniversary,6) its flora having been referred
to consist, beside the new Nelumbo, of
CladoPhlebis,
Sagenopleris,
Ossnunda,
(Idlelasequoia
like twig).
Tumion Sequoia, Nilssonia.
Ginkgoiles,
Populus,
Pltyllites, etc.
On that occasion we introduced
the
name of the Asuwa Flora for denoting
the occurrence of the plant fossil bed.
This flora is distinguished
from the
Tetori Flora. and corresponds
to the
upper Cretaceous Flora of Alaska.
Concerning the Asuwa Flora, the writer
wishes to report in another occasion.
Stratigraphical
relations of the upper
Cretaceous of the Inner side of Japan,
South Korea and Alaska Peninsula
are
suggested to be as followed.
Description
Family
of Species
Nympliaceae
Nelumbo orienlalis,
nov. sp.
dr. feeeenbo ISempa (HoLLcR) HoLLICK
(1906); US. Geol. Surrey Monograph
L, p. Si. Pls. XHI-XVI
cfr. N. nipponica ENDO (1934): Japan. Jour.
Geot. & Geogr. Vol. XI. p. 255-258,
XXXVI-XXXVIII.
r. N. dowsoni
cf
ROLLICK. BROWN (1936);
U.S. Geol. Surrey Prof. Paper 189-1,
P. 250. Pl. 48. fig. 11.
r. N. nipponica ENDO,cfYABE(1944): Proc.
Imp. Acad. Tokyo. Vol. XX. p. 725-731,
fig. 3
**皿
尾絜 層
157
Two leaves on a slab of shale, leaves
subotbicular, 12cm in diameter, margin
slightly undulate. Petiole stout suggesting to be 0.4-0.5 cm wide in compressed
state. Primary ribs assumed to be 22
and 26, respectively, in number,radiating
from center of leaf, and forking uniformly and dichotomously two or three
times with angles of 30 to 50 degrees;
first fork usually at about a half of the
length. Areolation fine but distinctly
impressed, commonly forming numerous
regular
hexagonal
and
pentagonal
meshes and rarely rhombic forms.
Fossil species of Nelumbo is characterized chiefly on the basis of differences
in the number of radial veins. But in
recent species can not be distinguished
from one another by the following
reason; according to BROWS'sdiscussion
on the two recent species of Netumbo,
the number of veins in the American
lotus (Nelumbo !aka) varies from 18 to25, with 22 as an average ; while in the
East Indian species (N. nucifcra) the
average is 20. Then, Dr. I. OGA shows
that the vein number of N. nucifera of
Japan varies from 19 to 25, 21 being the
dominant number, followed by those with
22. Thus he is inclined to disregard the
number of radial veins as well as the
diameter and the form of leaves, as
specific characteristics.
The writer, however, agrees to
BROWN'Sopinion that, as fossils are
formed and found by chance, and the
material is scanty, the difference in the
number of veinlets would be useful for
specific characterization of fossils.
This new species has a somewhat
more numerous radial ribs than the
other fossil species, because Nelumbo
nipponica is assumed to have 21, N.
dowsoni has 18, and the other American
fossil species is assumed to have 11 to
18 veins. Then N. nipponica is closely
158
Hidekuni
related
to
and
it
lated
the
recent
appears
to
species
to
the
be
rather
American
interesting
fact
closely
related
fossil
species
than
closely
to
is
an
lotus
the
the
re-
This
American
to
advices and suggestions given to him in
this study. To Prof. I. TATEIWAof the
Tokyo University and to Dr. I. OGA,
the President of the Lotus Research
Society in Japan, the writer is indebted
for knowledge on the fossil Korean lotus,
and the ancient and recent lotus, respectively: To Prof. I. HAYASAKA
of the
Hokkaido University thanks are due to
his kind criticism and realing of manuscripts.
nucifera,
lotus.
that
more
N.
MATSUO
Far
is
Eastern
American
fossil
species.
Moreover,
be
the
smaller
nipponica
of
the
of
type,
60
but
senia
N.
dowsoni
small
determined
leaves
to
Locality:
be
600
Sarao,
of
m
References
single
having
the
The
in-
species
small
west
Bra-
a
cm.
Korean
a
was
size.
from
the
village
of
Imaclate.Gun,
Prefecture.
35•‹51'40"N.
L
Geological
Long.
horizon
Flora
Collector
are
Eami-ikeda-Mura.
Fukui
.at
the
of 4.4
of
larger
considers
species,
south
recorded
a
BROWN
diameter
N.
dia-
is
assumes
Cretaceous
maximum
to
as
maximum
tienzpii
However,
these
upper
N.
looks
species,
the
cm,
size.
leaves
other
measures
meter
that
size
than
(upper
:
Depository
If.
:
MATSUO.
University.
July
Asuwa
No.
under
(upper
12,
1953.
Institute
Reg.
specimen,
formation,
Cretaceous).
Geological
10018b
136•‹21'29"E
Sarao
of
Kanazawa
GKZ10018a
surface)
(Type-
and
No.
GU,
surface).
Acknowledgments
The
sincere
Gelogical
MASAMUNE
Kanazawa
writer
wishes
thanks
to
to
Prof.
K.
Institute,
of
the
University,
express
and
of
Prof.
Biological
for
his
OZAKI
the
G.
1) ENDO,S. (1933-34), A New Species of
Nelumbo from the Palacogene of Japan.
JaPon. Journ. Geol.& Geogr. Vol. XI, p.
255-258.
2) YABE.IL (1944)PalaeoceneAge of the coal
Formationof the Ube Coalfield,Yamaguchi
Prefecture. Proc. Imp. Acad. Tokyo. Vol.
XX, p. 727, Fig. 3.
3) TATIOWA.1. (1933-34), Cretaceous Flora
of Tsushima, .Japan.Japan. Joist.Geol.
Geogr., Vol.XI, p. 189-209.
4) PoTosifi. IL (1921), Lehrbuch der Palaobotanik p. 369.
5) ENDO, S,(1933-34) Op. cit. p. 256.
6) MATSUO,H. & KIDA,S. (1953), On the
Occurrenceof the Asuwa late Cretaceous
Flora in the Upper Asuwa River in Fukui
Prefecture and a Note on the Angiosperm
Series. Jour, Geol.Soc. Japan, Vol.LIX,
no. 694, p. 324.
7) MATSUO,H. (1953), The Bearing of the
so-called Tetori Series. Jour. Geol. Soc.
Japan, Vol. LIX, NO.694, p. 357.
Institute,
their
valuable
Plate
Netumbo
20
orientalis,
nov
sp
MATSUO ;Nelumbo
from
the
Asuwa
flowa
PLATE
20