Sequoia jeholensis
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| Sequoia jeholensis Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Gymnospermae |
| Division: | Pinophyta |
| Class: | Pinopsida |
| Order: | Cupressales |
| Family: | Cupressaceae |
| Genus: | Sequoia |
| Species: | †S. jeholensis |
| Binomial name | |
| †Sequoia jeholensis Endo | |
Sequoia jeholensis was a species of redwood tree that existed during Jurassic and Cretaceous periods from 174.7-118.9 MYA. The earlier fossils come from the Middle to Late Jurassic in what is now Liaoning Province, China. Remains dated the Early Cretaceous are known from Inner Mongolia.[1] It is considered one of the earliest known representatives of the genus Sequoia. The discovery of S. jeholensis suggests that the genus Sequoia may have originated in Asia before spreading to other regions.[2]
The species was first described by Japanese paleobotanist Seido Endo in 1951 from fossils recovered in the Lycoptera beds of Lingyuan, Jehol (modern-day Liaoning, China). These Jurassic deposits are probably from the Haifanggou Formation (sometimes called the Jiulongshan Formation).[1] The fossil material, consisting of a well-preserved branchlet, was recognized for its close resemblance to the foliage of the modern coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens). The discovery extended the known evolutionary history of Sequoia back to the Jurassic, significantly earlier than the previous oldest records, which were from the Cretaceous.[2]
Another specimen was found in the Jiufotang Formation in Inner Mongolia.