Saururus is a genus of plants in the family Saururaceae containing two species. Saururus cernuus is native to North America, and Saururus chinensis is native to Asia.

Saururus
S. cernuus in Virginia, USA
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Magnoliids
Order: Piperales
Family: Saururaceae
Genus: Saururus
L.
Type species
Saururus cernuus
L.
Species[1]

Fossil record edit

Fossil seeds of Saururus bilobatus have been described from middle Miocene strata of the Fasterholt area near Silkeborg in central Jutland, Denmark.[2] Flowers, leaves, and pollen from †Saururus tuckerae are known from the older Ypresian age Eocene Okanagan Highlands Princeton Chert site.[3]

References edit

  1. ^ "Saururus". The Plant List. 2013. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  2. ^ Angiosperm Fruits and Seeds from the Middle Miocene of Jutland (Denmark) by Else Marie Friis, The Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters 24:3, 1985
  3. ^ Smith, S. Y.; Stockey, R. A. (2007). "Establishing a fossil record for the perianthless Piperales: Saururus tuckerae sp. nov.(Saururaceae) from the Middle Eocene Princeton Chert". American Journal of Botany. 94 (10): 1642–1657. doi:10.3732/ajb.94.10.1642. PMID 21636361.