A diverse assemblage of Anacardiaceae from Oligocene sediments, Tepexi de Rodríguez, Puebla, Mexico

Abstract

Among the plants collected from the Pie de Vaca Formation of the Oligocene, of Tepexi de Rodríguez, Puebla, Mexico are five plants of Anacardiaceae, Haplorhus medranoensis, Rhus toxicodendron, Rhus sp., Comocladia intermedia, and Pistacia marquezu represented by their leaves and/or leaflets. The past and present diversity and geographic distribution of one of these genera, Rhus, demonstrate its capability to adapt and diversify in a wide variety of environments. Leaf architecture characters of this taxon overlap with those of other genera in the family, suggesting a high degree of phenotypic plasticity. The presence in the Pie de Vaca Formation of a type of Pistacia with leaf architecture characters similar to those of Asian plants further supports a long history of exchange between low-latitude North America and Asia. Links between low-latitude North and South America and the Caribbean are suggested by the presence of Comocladia and Haplorhus. Whereas Comocladia highlights the long history of regional endemics in the area, Haplorhus, today an endemic monotypic genus of Peru, suggests exchange mechanisms between North and South America. The morphologic characters of these taxa, and those of Pseudosmodingium (Anacardiaceae), some Rosaceae, Leguminosae, and Berberidaceae, suggest that the Pie de Vaca community was established and evolved in harsh environmental conditions. The Pie de Vaca flora thus provides significant new insights into the biogeographic relationships of the low latitude vegetation of North America.