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Novel three-dimensional reconstructions of presumed Phylica (Rhamnaceae) from Cretaceous amber suggest Lauralean affinities

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Fig. 1: Virtual reconstructed microXCT data of flowers 1 and 2 of Nothophylica piloburmensis from Kachin amber (QUST-AM32127).
Fig. 2: Inflorescence and floral diagrams of Nothophylica piloburmensis from Kachin amber (QUST-AM32127).

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Acknowledgements

E.-M.S. and S.B. acknowledge the German Research Foundation (grant number 423862824) for financial support. We also thank F. Jabbour (Paris) and E. Guillam (Paris) for their support. Many thanks to C. Sarthou (Paris) for the opportunity of loaning, sampling and microCT-scanning Phylica specimens from the herbarium of the Museum national d’Histoire naturelle (MNHN Paris; MNHN-P-P05478495, MNHN-P-P06831565, MNHN-P-P06831185, MNHN-P-P06766849, MNHN-P-P06831106, MNHN-P-P01052148, MNHN-P-P06765824, MNHN-P-P06883849).

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Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Contributions

S.B. conducted the microXCT reconstructions, performed the segmentation and generated the videos and figures. All authors analysed the data, wrote the manuscript and contributed to the design of the figure plates.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Simon Beurel or Eva-Maria Sadowski.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Nature Plants thanks Richard Buggs and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

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Supplementary information

Supplementary Information

Supplementary Fig. 1. Comparison of microXCT cross section images of flowers 1 (upper row) and 2 (lower row) obtained using original scanning files provided by Shi et al.1. a,b, Images from file QUST-AM32127-1 as published by Shi et al.1 in their Supplementary Information Fig. 26j,l. c,d, Images obtained from QUST-AM32127-1 in this study. e,f, Images obtained from QUST-AM32127-2 in this study. To be consistent with the published figure (a) of Shi et al.1, (c) and (e) were mirror-inverted. Note missing stamens in (a) and (b) encircled in red, compared to (c) and (d), and better resolution in (e) and (f). For abbreviations in (a) and (b), see Shi et al.1. Scale bars (apply to each row): a,b = 0.2 mm.

Reporting Summary

Supplementary Video 1

3D volume rendering of flower 1 of Nothophylica piloburmensis from the scanning file QUST-AM32127-2. Colours indicate pedicel and perianth (light grey), stamens (red), staminodes (yellow), upper part of the gynoecium (purple), locule (green) and ovules (blue).

Supplementary Video 2

3D volume rendering of flower 2 of Nothophylica piloburmensis from the scanning file QUST-AM32127-2. Colours indicate pedicel and perianth (light grey), stamens (red), staminodes (yellow), upper part of the gynoecium (purple), locule (green) and ovules (blue).

Supplementary Video 3

3D volume rendering of a stamen from flower 1 of Nothophylica piloburmensis from the scanning file QUST-AM32127-2.

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Beurel, S., Bachelier, J.B., Schmidt, A.R. et al. Novel three-dimensional reconstructions of presumed Phylica (Rhamnaceae) from Cretaceous amber suggest Lauralean affinities. Nat. Plants 10, 223–227 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-023-01592-w

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