Baiera
Extinct genus of seed plants in the family Ginkgoaceae
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Baiera is a genus of prehistoric gymnosperms in the order Ginkgoales.[2] It is one of the oldest fossil foliage types of Ginkgoales,[3] and is related to the genera Ginkgo and Ginkgoites. Fossils of Baiera are found worldwide, and have been known from the Permian to the Cretaceous.
| Baiera Temporal range: Permian–Cretaceous | |
|---|---|
| |
| Baiera gracilis fossil | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Gymnospermae |
| Division: | Ginkgophyta |
| Class: | Ginkgoopsida |
| Order: | Ginkgoales |
| Family: | Ginkgoaceae |
| Genus: | †Baiera Braun, 1843 |
| Species | |
|
†Baiera africana | |
Description
Baiera species are characterized by fan-shaped leaves,[4] are deeply lobed into four segments,[5] deeply incised into slender segments,[4] and are distinguished from Sphenobaiera by a petiole.[4]
B. africana is characterized by its symmetrical and triangular leaves.[6]
Classification
Karl Friedrich Wilhelm Braun first introduced the name Baiera in 1843 to refer to fossils in Germany that he interpreted as ginkgophytes.[7] In 1936, Carl Rudolf Florin used Baiera to refer to leaves with a distinct stalk or petiole and with a semicircular or triangular shape.[7]
Placement of Baiera
Gerd Dietl and Günter Schweigert (2011) place Baiera in the family Ginkgoaceae,[2] while a 2015 classification by Andriy Novikoff and Beata Barabasz-Krasny places it in the Karkeniaceae.[8][9]
