Pinus yorkshirensis
Extinct species of conifer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pinus yorkshirensis is an extinct species of pine tree. The fossil pine cone came from Hauterivian and Barremian-aged sedimentary rocks located in the Speeton Clay Formation in Yorkshire (hence the species epithet).[1]
| Pinus yorkshirensis Temporal range: Early Cretaceous, | |
|---|---|
| |
| The holotype before it was destroyed | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Gymnospermae |
| Division: | Pinophyta |
| Class: | Pinopsida |
| Order: | Pinales |
| Family: | Pinaceae |
| Genus: | Pinus |
| Subgenus: | P. subg. Pinus |
| Species: | †P. yorkshirensis |
| Binomial name | |
| †Pinus yorkshirensis Ryberg et al., 2012 | |
Discovery and naming
The type specimen of Pinus yorkshirensis, BiRUG BU4737, was discovered during a field trip with the University of Birmingham to the Speeton Clay Formation. It is one of four known fossil pine cones from Europe and it was found within a weathered concretion that had split into seven fragments. It was 5 million years older than the previous record holder, Pinus belgica.[2]
The fossil was destroyed for science so scientists could study the fossil in more detail. All that remains are a few microscope slides and a single image.[1] They are currently housed at Lapworth Museum of Geology.[3]
Pinus yorkshirensis was named and described by Ryberg et al. (2012).[2]
