دراساث علي النباتات الحفرية والمناخ القديم لمحمية الغابه المتحجرة بالقاهرة

Abstract

The objective of the current study was to continue the palaeobotanical investigation of the fossil woods from the Cairo Petrified Forest protected area in order to expand our knowledge about the fossil flora of the study area and that of Egypt as a whole. Forty-one silicified wood specimens were collected from the study area. Microscopic examination of the transverse and longitudinal (tangential and radial) thin-ground sections, which were made in the well-preserved specimens, was carried out. Photographs of the petrified trunks were taken at that site of collection. Microphotographs of the sections were also captured. The results of the present study can be summarized as follows: a) Microscopic examination of the 38 well-preserved specimens along with comparison with related fossil and living species described in the available cited literature resulted in recognizing 11 species assigned to nine genera, belonging to three families, which are as follows: I. Family: Combretaceae 1) Terminalioxylon edwardsii (previously recorded from Egypt but new to the study area). Summary Page 135 II. Family: Fabaceae Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae 2) Afzelioxylon welkitii (previously recorded from Egypt but new to the study area). 3) Copaiferoxylon matanzensis (new to Africa). 4) Cynometroxylon tunesense (previously recorded from Egypt and the study area). 5) Detarioxylon aegyptiacum (previously recorded from Egypt and the study area). Subfamily: Faboideae 6) Andiroxylon aegyptiacum sp. nov. Subfamily: Mimosoideae 7) Dichrostachyoxylon palaeonyassanum (new to Egypt). 8) D. royaderum (new to Africa). 9) D. zirkelii (new to Africa) 10) Mimosoxylon tenax (previously recorded from Egypt but new to the study area).