EARLY CRETACEOUS ANGIOSPERMS FROM QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA

In the Great Artesian Basin, Clavatipollenites first appears in the Barremian-early Aptian and Asteropollis in the basal Albian. Rousea Tricolpites, Phimopollenites follow in the mid-Albian and Cupuliferoidaepollenites, ?Fraxinoipollenites, ?Tricolpopollenites, Dryadopollis, Nssapollenites and other very rare forms in the late Albian. It is suggested that these angiosperms, and possibly their ancestors, migrated via Indonesia from a palaeotropical region of origin in East Asia. Pollen dispersal patterns seem to imply environmental pressures on geographic distribution of those early angiosperms. Clavatipollenites and tricolpate pollen types, all of which develop colpi in the nexine (covered by sexinous membranes) are found chiefly in coastal sediments, whereas Tricolpites and other tricolpate forms, all of which develop colpi in both nexine and sexine, are found also in sediments from the interior of the continent. © 1990.