A new winged seed from the Permian of China

Two specimens of a new type of winged seed, Semenalatum paucum Dilcher, Mei et Du, sp. nov., from the Huaibei Coal Field, Lower Shihhotse Formation of Early Permian age are described and discussed. It is suggested that this winged seed has coniferous affinities because there are sterile scales on one side of the seed, there is an inverted ovule, the seed is bilaterally symmetrical and the wings are formed from the outer integument of the seed coat. The seed has two lateral wings and a short central wing. The two lateral wings of the seed are oriented obliquely to the seed so it would have spun as it moved through the air reducing the settling time. The two specimens probably were transported from an upland flora into a Permian coal-forming swamp and are found in association with plants such as Lepidodendron, Lobatannularia, Gigantonoclea, Pecopteris and Caulopteris. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.