Book Reviews

Abstract

Plant macroremains were recovered during the renewed excavation at Grap?eva ?pilja, a cave on the island of Hvar in Croatia. This is the first archaeoboatnical investigation on an eastern Adriatic island to use flotation samples. Samples were taken from layers dating from the Early Neolithic to the Middle Bronze Age (ca. 6000–1500 B.C.). Sixteen radiocarbon dates obtained from wood charcoal date the samples precisely. Detailed archaeobotanical analyses of plant macroremains reveal plant use during the occupation of the cave, with the highest density of plant remains in the Neolithic. Oak acorns were the most abundant plant remains. Finds of two types of juniper berry cones, various parts of gymnosperm cones, and cypress seeds and leaves indicate that the Mediterranean evergreen woodland was exploited. Remains of cultivated plants are rare. A small number of cereal grains, including emmer, einkorn, and possibly bread wheat were recovered from the Neolithic layers, as well as a few wheat grains from later horizons. Remains of typical wild Mediterranean fruits included almond nutshell fragments, a grape pip, and a fig seed. These finds indicate that the occupants of Grap?eva utilized processed crops but also gathered plants from the wild for food, fuel, and perhaps ritual. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis was performed in order to assess charred versus mineralized preservation. Macroplant remains from Grap?eva were compared to the few available plant analyses from the eastern Adriatic. This comparison provides evidence that caves had different functions both from each other and from open-air sites. The plant remains are discussed in the context of the spread of farming on both sides of the Adriatic.     

The prehistoric pile-dwelling settlement of Stagno (Leghorn,Italy): wood and food resource exploitation

A pile-dwelling settlement, dated to the final Bronze–early Iron Age (XII–XI century BC), was excavated at Stagno, near Leghorn (Tuscany, Italy). The site presented a well-preserved portion of the wooden foundation structure buried by sediments rich in plant remains: both wood and plant remains were subjected to archaeobotanical investigation. The ultimate goal was to improve our knowledge on agricultural economy and wood usage in Tuscany during the prehistoric ages. The results pointed to a farming system based on Triticum spp. (wheat), Hordeum spp. (barley) and Leguminosae cultivation in addition to the gathering of wild fruits, such as Corylus avellana, Cornus mas, Prunus spp., Vitis spp. Many of these plant remains are associated to a wetland context. Mesohygrophilous trees, such as deciduous Quercus, Ulmus minor, Fraxinus cf. excelsior, and Sorbus were used for the construction of the pile-dwelling structures; the choice of these plants indicates a good knowledge of the technological characteristics of timber.     

Roman landscape and agriculture on the Ligurian coast through macro and microremains from a Vada Sabatia well (Vado Ligure,Italy)

Abstract

The results of an analysis on plant remains (fruit, seeds, pollen and wood) found in sediments in a Roman well in Vada Sabatia (Vado Ligure, Liguria, Italy), dated between the first and fourth centuries AD are presented. The remains are well preserved and constitute an exceptional record of the Ligurian area. Five layers have been recognised: three corresponding to the well when in use and two to the well when it was no longer in use. The vegetational cover of the area has been found to be similar to that observed in the coastal plain near Albingaunum (Albenga) pertaining to the same period. Moreover, the two superficial layers have cumulated a large amount of macroremains related to the period in which the well was no longer in use. The principal tree and vegetable crops and cereals of the coastal plain were present, due to the influence of maritime and mercantile trade, as were the prevailing ruderal and weed species and the tree cover. The presence of carpological remains of Castanea sativa, Secale cereale, Beta vulgaris and Cucumis sativus is reported for the first time in the Roman Age in Liguria. The influence of the arrival of the Romans can be seen from new crops, such as Prunus persica, and the introduction of exotic fruit like Phoenix dactylifera and Ziziphus jujuba. Several wooden artefacts, for example, a rack for drying lucerne and a tool handle, made of Cornus or Viburnum and Viburnum cf. lantana respectively, have been found. The well has proved to be an ideal location for the preservation of plant remains compared with other studied archaeological situations in Liguria and in Southern France, as it presents a higher variety of cultivated fruits, vegetables and cereals.     

Desiccated plant macrofossils from the medieval castle of Marmorera,Switzerland, with a note on the identification of leaves of Cyperaceae

Abstract

During restoration work at the medieval castle of Marmorera, Graubünden canton, Switzerland, numerous desiccated plant remains were found — in a rock crevice that was protected from precipitation by a massive rock shelter. The identification of the remains showed that the majority could not have grown at the castle, but must have been transported to the site. Many of the plants came from warmer climates and were imported from lower lying regions, indicating the position of the castle at an important transalpine route. Among the finds was a lump of grass-like leaves for which for a method of preparation and identification was developed. The leaves turned out to be of Carex species that grow in wet habitats which were probably used as litter or as bedding material.     

Leaf preservation in Eucalyptus woodland as a model for sclerophyll fossil floras

Retallack, G.J., May 2018. Leaf preservation in Eucalyptus woodland as a model for sclerophyll fossil floras. Alcheringa xxx, xxx–xxx.

A comparison of 29 identifiable vascular plant species in litter beneath Eucalyptus woodland with at least 74 species living nearby showed that the litter is a poor representation of standing vegetation. The leaf litter is dominated by sclerophyll leaves, which are a factor of 6.2 over-represented in litter for Angophora costata, factor of 5.7 for Melaleuca linariifolia, of 3.6 for Eucalyptus spp., of 3.5 for Pteridium esculentum and of 2.1 for Acacia linifolia. Angophora leaves are favored by lignification, with denser venation than Eucalyptus leaves. Sparse emergent oil glands of Angophora also provide fewer entry points for bacteria than rotted internal oil glands of Eucalyptus. The myrtaceous taxa Angophora, Eucalyptus, Melaleuca and Kunzea all have oils dominantly of preservative terpene. Melaleuca linariifolia and Acacia linifolia also have leaves and phyllodes (respectively) that are narrow with a thick lignin midrib. Thickly cuticled, succulent, hirsute, pubescent, and pinnate leaves, and green stems are not favored for preservation, because they rot from the inside out. Conspicuously absent in the leaf litter are nonsclerophyll leaves, most grasses and low herbs. This modern sclerophyll leaf litter matches Sydney Basin Permian and Triassic fossil plant localities above nutrient-poor siliceous paleosols, which may have had much more diversity than the preserved fossil flora. Clayey calcareous paleosol leaf litters and lake deposits may record a truer record of local floristic diversity in deep time than sclerophyll leaf litters.

Gregory J. Retallack [gregr@uoregon.edu], Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1272, USA.     

Plant remains and amphorae from the Roman harbour under Flacius Street in Pula (Istria,Croatia)

The aim of this archaeobotanical and archaeological research is to expand knowledge about Roman diet and plant cultivation in Istria and to compare it with similar localities on the Eastern Adriatic coast. We have also tried to find some new information about maritime trade routes in the Mediterranean area in ancient times. Out of 27 samples collected from an excavated Roman port in Flacius Street in Pula, in total, 9809 plant macrofossils were recovered, identified and analysed. The results of the analysis show that most of the plant remains belong to the group of fruit trees and nuts. The most abundant are the remains of Ficus carica, Pinus pinea, Vitis vinifera subsp. vinifera, Rubus fruticosus agg. and Olea europaea subsp. europaea. These are all species that are widespread in the Mediterranean area and have likely always been consumed by the local population. The number of ruderal and weed species found is relatively high (31) in comparison with other plant categories (fruit trees and nuts; fruit collected from the wild; cereals; condiments; oil crops; vegetables and tubers; plants of fresh water environments; elements of maquis), but as they came to the site accidentally and not by targeted human activity, there are far fewer macrofossils of such plants than those of cultivated species. There were a few elements of evergreen forest vegetation and plants of aquatic habitats at the site (2 + 1), which suggests the existence of this type of vegetation in the area of the site in Roman times. Archaeobotanical comparisons of the site in Flacius Street with similar coastal Roman sites—Verige Bay on Veli Brijuni (first-fifth century ad), the port of Zaton near Nin (first-third century ad) and Caska Bay on the island of Pag (first and second century ad)—reveal considerable similarities, confirming the uniformity in nutrition and plant growth in the wider coastal area. Together with the two Roman ships, during the archaeological excavations of the Roman harbour and its layers, we collected over 2000 different archaeological artefacts out of which a large number was almost perfectly preserved. Some of the mentioned artefacts include ceramic amphorae, ceramic table- and kitchenware, ceramic lamps, different usable objects made of glass, wooden use objects, parts of ship’s equipment and other wooden tools, architecture elements from the nearby port as well as residential structures and remains of stone monuments. Because of the large amount of artefacts found at the site, the analysis of the artefacts and data processing are still in progress. As a contribution for recognizing organic remains, we isolated the amphorae whose purpose was the storage and maritime transportation of different food products and ingredients.     

What goes in does not always come out: The impact of the ruminant digestive system of sheep on plant material,and its importance for the interpretation of dung-derived archaeobotanical assemblages

Abstract

On archaeological sites where livestock dung was a major fuel source, plant material that survives digestion intact may well be preserved in the remnants of dung-fuelled fires. Preserved plant remains which were derived from dung relate to the diet of animals, and thus provide a way of investigating the agro-pastoral economies of the past. In order to improve our understanding of the taphonomic processes to which plant material is exposed to during digestion, we applied archaeobotanical methods to the analysis of dung from sheep fed a known diet of cereal and wild plant material. Two clear patterns emerge from these investigations. First, cereal material (grain or chaff) survives digestion poorly and was rarely found in the dung analysed. Second, large proportions of seeds of various wild species survive digestion in an identifiable form, probably due to their small size and/or protective coating. These findings are crucial for reliable interpretation of dung-derived plant material in archaeological settings.     

Late Triassic palynoflora from the Pranhita–Godavari Valley,India: evidence from vertebrate coprolites

Vijaya, Prasad, G.V.R. & Singh, K., June, 2009. Late Triassic palynoflora from the Pranhita–Godavari Valley, India: evidence from vertebrate coprolites. Alcheringa 33, 91–111. ISSN 0311-5518.

The Upper Triassic Maleri Formation, represented by red clays and sandstones, has to date not produced any plant macrofossils or palynomorphs. Many spiral and non-spiral coprolites collected during this study from the Maleri Formation of the Pranhita-Godavari Valley were analysed for palynomorphs. Based on shape, nature of coiling and size, the Maleri coprolites are classified into seven groups. Of these, only Group-I, Type 5 (non-spiral) and amphipolar (spiral) types yielded diverse gymnospermous and pteridophytic spores, pollen, other plant debris and sparse fungal spores and algal remains. Occurrences of Antulsporites varigranulatus, Aratrisporites spp., Cadargasporites baculatus, Dubrajisporites isolatus, Enzonalasporites vigens, Foraminisporis coelatus, Grandispora spinosa, Kraeuselisporites saeptatus, Polycingulatisporites reduncus, Staurosaccites spp., Tethysispora unica and Tikisporites balmei confirm a Late Triassic age for the coprolite-bearing red clays. Records of Classopollis classoides and Callialasporites turbatus/dampieri in these assemblages more precisely suggest a Norian to Rhaetian age. The non-spiral coprolites were possibly produced by aquatic piscivorous animals whereas the spiral coprolites may have been produced by an as yet unidentified fish taxon. The coprolite-producing animals (spiral and non-spiral groups) possibly ingested gymnospermous and pteridophytic plant remains passively along with water or their herbivorous prey.     

Chenopodium Seeds in Open-Air Archaeological Sites – How to Not Throw the Baby Out with the Bathwater

ABSTRACT

Differentiating between charred and uncharred plant remains may appear straightforward but for some taxa (here fat-hen, Chenopodium album type) can be very problematic. Recognition of the preservation state is obviously crucial for archaeobotanical data derived from dry, open-air sites. Fat-hen as a common weed, is also one of the most important components of a persistent soil seed bank. It is also a well-known food plant, gathered or cultivated. Numerous findings of fat-hen seeds in unclear states of preservation were noted in the Early Neolithic sites of the Linear Pottery culture in Kuyavia (N Europe). In previous studies such specimens were omitted as probably uncharred. Re-examination of Neolithic finds of fat-hen from that region showed the link of their abundancy with the earliest phases of the Neolithic occupation. The plant probably played an important role in the diet of the early Neolithic settlers there. It may indicate intensive use of local, open, fertile, probably alluvial areas. Distinguishing between ancient and modern specimens of that common weedy plant, producing large amounts of small, black, resistant seeds is thus very important, holding a great potential to shed new light on the origins of agricultural societies in this part of northern Europe.     

Vegetation,land, and wood use at the sites of Bat and Al‐Khashbah in Oman (fourth–third millennium BC)

About 4200 charcoal fragments have been identified from the fourth‐ to third‐millennium BC archaeological sites of Bat and Al‐Khashbah in order to gain an understanding of plant resources available at the sites. Acacia sp., Ziziphus sp., and Tamarix sp. were the main taxa identified at both sites and indicate a similar vegetation composition as today. Phoenix sp. (date palm) charcoal also has been found at both sites. Whereas the cultivation of date palm for the 2700–2300 BC layers from Bat was likely, given other circumstantial evidence (i.e. local cereal cultivation and floodwater irrigation), it is unclear whether date palm was cultivated at Al‐Khashbah. Especially for the older periods (3300–2700 BC) it is possible that nomadic pastoralists were exploiting and/or managing wild date palms. The find of Avicennia marina at Al‐Khashbah indicates long‐distance contacts with the coast.     

Protecting a Cemetery in Saqqara: Site Works 1975–2009

Abstract

This article considers the varied threats to Ancient Egyptian architectural remains that have been exposed by modern excavation. A number of possible measures that counter such threats are outlined, together with the practical difficulties facing the architectural conservator working in this context. The approach taken at the New Kingdom Necropolis in Saqqara — a group of elite tombs constructed c. 1350–1250 BC — during the post-excavation phase is detailed, with an emphasis on the works carried out by the author from 2004 to 2009. This encompasses the conservation of surviving limestone relief decoration in situ, the reconstruction of missing masonry elements, and the final presentation of the site to visitors.     

Archaeobotany,vine growing and wine producing in Roman Southern France: the site of Gasquinoy (Béziers,Hérault)

Unequivocal evidence of Roman vine cultivation and wine making is provided from studies of combined archaeological remains from the site of Gasquinoy (Southern France). Waterlogged and charred plant material (fruits/seeds/wood) collected from wells located in the close vicinity of cultivated fields and wine making establishments confirms the local significance of this activity. The results offer insights on particular aspects of wine production (‘traumatic’ treading of grapes and straining) and provide evidence of secondary agricultural activities such as cereal production and fruit tree cultivation. The potential use of monocotyledonous stems such as Arundo/Phragmites in the farming system is discussed.     

山东高青陈庄遗址炭化种子果实研究

通过对山东高青陈庄遗址灰坑等遗迹中出土的炭化植物种子果实进行鉴定和统计分析,探讨了该聚落人类与植物的关系:(1)遗址中出土的丰富的粟、黍和草木犀属植物遗存,可能与马的喂养有关;(2)陈庄聚落西周时期农业是主要的食物来源,农作物包括了文献记载的"五谷",就是粟、黍、小麦、大豆和稻,粟和小麦等旱地作物占的比重最高,水稻可能较少,牛筋草等杂草可能是收获等过程中带入聚落内的;(3)常见的野生植物如野大豆、枣、葡萄以及动物遗骸等可能反映狩猎捕捞仍然作为食物的补充。     

Implications of Plant Remains from the East Face of Monks Mound

Abstract

Flotation-recovered plant remains from a series of 11 sod block samples, 7 features, a limestone concentration, and a mass of organic debris provide insights into the construction of Monks Mound. The presence of uncarbonized seeds exclusively of annuals (other than those of perennial elderberry and wild grape, which probably represent food remains) indicates that the construction of Monks Mound was relatively continuous. The presence of quillwort megaspores and other indicators of wetlands provide additional data on how Monks Mound was constructed and where some borrow and/or sod blocks were likely obtained to construct at least part of this monument.     

Advances in Morphometrics in Archaeobotany

ABSTRACT

Morphometric analysis offers an alternative or augmentation to traditional archaeobotanical methods to address differences within and between plant species and their remains, refining and enhancing taxonomic resolution. Morphometrics, the measurement of size and shape, and the multivariate statistical analysis of generated quantitative variables, have long played a major role in biological research, including plant taxonomy and systematics, although its application in archaeobotany is relatively recent. Over the last few decades, there has been an increasing interest in the use of morphometrics for analysing a varied range of archaeological plant materials (mainly seeds, pollen, phytoliths, and starch grains). In particular, morphometrics have contributed to the study of the domestication and spread of many cereals world-wide, as well as that of other taxa including legumes, underground storage organs (USO), and fruits (such as olives, grapes, and dates). This paper reviews current methodologies, recent applications, and advances in the use of morphometrics in archaeobotanical research, discusses its role in exploring major research questions, and suggests possible future directions for its use.     

Disruptive marginality: The representation of wildness in Lope de Vega’s Baroque dramatic art

Abstract

The theatrical production of Baroque Iberia exhibits an obsession with wildness that remains to be fully explored. By the time Segismundo takes the stage dressed in animal pelts in Calderón’s La vida es sueño, the wild figure had already enjoyed a long history on the Spanish stage, first appearing in Lope de Vega’s El nacimiento de Ursón y Valentín in 1588. Enduring popularity until Bances Candamo’s 1693 comedia, La piedra filosofal, this steady preoccupation with the concept of wildness offers unique insights on the evolving landscape of Baroque ideologies over time, which are rarely considered diachronically. Dramatic representations of wildness signify the transgression of a prescribed norm—be it social, political, racial, or otherwise—which leads to its necessary elimination to resolve the conflict of a given play. In this article, I will plot the trajectory of dramatic conventions in their diminishing ability to resolve the recurring problem of wildness, thus offering a literary history of the comedia’s social efficacy as it struggled to sustain the weight of its own ideological commitments. Furthermore, I will examine the implications of my approach on longstanding debates on the ideological function of Baroque Iberian drama by analyzing the theoretical problem inherent in the existence of the marginal terrain wildness inhabits. My approach considers who stands to benefit from social order and those who, like the wild figure, find themselves excluded. At a time of renewed energy for exclusionary ideologies, aspirations of encompassing the marginalized are as important today as they were in 1588.     

Comparing seeds/fruits and pollen from a Middle Bronze Age pit in Florence (Italy)

The recovery of a Middle Bronze Age pit in Florence offered the opportunity of studying seeds/fruits and pollen coming from the pit fill layers. Both datasets resulted similar in their mixed composition of cultivated, synanthropic, and wild plants. They represent different traces coming from the plants which were stored and voluntarily or involuntarily introduced into the structure. Foodstuff and fodder storage activities are testified in the pit. Particularly, plant gathering is better represented by seed/fruit remains, while fodder procurement is mainly clarified by pollen. In this study, the use of pollen as evidence of economic activity is validated by the hypothesis that the origin of the pollen in the pit is from the stored plant material more than from the pollen rain. Therefore, comparing these datasets proved to be useful to assess the sources of the plant remains found in the pit, to interpret the origin of the fill layers and make some inferences on the structure and its uses, and to attempt some palaeoethnobotanical considerations.     

An Analysis of the Gut Contents of Five Well-Preserved Human Bodies from Tarapacá, Northern Chile

The detailed microscopic analysis of the gut contents from five well-preserved desiccated human bodies, dated between 540 BC and AD 600, from the Tarapacá quebrada, Northern Chile, has been undertaken. This analysis indicated that local wild resources such as the seeds of Chenopodium sp., pods of Prosopis sp. and the underground organs of Schoenoplectus/Scirpus sp. made up a substantial part of the diet even after the presence of domesticated species can be demonstrated for the area. Evidence for the consumption of fish was also recovered but the identification of larger mammals such as the Andean camelids in the diet is only tentative. This stands in contrast to the data recovered from other classes of archaeological remains and highlights the need to correlate as many different classes of complementary data as possible if a more complete picture of ancient diet is to be forthcoming.     

COLLECTIF N° 376–377Cent ans d'histoire des outre-mers. SFHOM, 1912–2012

Association Georges Pompidou, Georges Pompidou et l'Europe (Brussels, Complexe, 1995), 692pp., 235R, ISBN 2 87027 525 0

Bard, C., Les filles de Marianne: Histoire des féminismes 1914–1940 (Librairie Arthème Fayard, 1995), 528pp., 168F., ISBN 2 213 59390 6

Béhar J.‐M., Guide des grandes entreprises: les groupes qui font la France (Seuil, 1995), 318pp., 190F., ISBN 2 02 022725 8

Breunig, L.C., ed., The Cubist Poets in Paris (University of Nebraska Press, 1995), 326pp, ISBN 0 8032 1224 0

Colombani, J.‐L., La gauche survivra‐t‐elle aux socialistes? (Flammarion, 1994), 212pp., 105F., ISBN 2 08 066953 2

Cornick, M., The Nouvelle Revue Française under Jean Paulhan, 1925–1940 (Rodopi, 1994), 224pp., Hfl. 65/USS 40.50, ISBN 90 5183 797 6

Daphins, F., Le Peuple à la une (SA EPJS, 1995), 139pp., 150F.

Daubié, J.‐V., La Femme pauvre au dixneuvième siècle, t.2: Condition morale (Côté‐femmes, 1993), 203pp., 120F., ISBN 2 907883 69 0 (t.2: Conditions économiques et travail, 294pp., 120F., ISBN 2 907883 46 1. t.3: Réponses à des objections, 125pp., 96F., ISBN 2 907883 70 4)

Derrida, J., Points ... Interviews, 1974–1994 (Stanford University Press, 1995), 494pp., £11.95, ISBN 0 8047 2488 1

Estier, C., De Mitterrand à Jospin (Stock, 1995), 347pp., 130F., ISBN 2 234 04537 1

Georgi, F., L'Invention de la CFDT, 1957–1970 (Editions de l'Atelier/CNRS, 1995), 200pp., 651E, ISBN 2 271 05310 2

Jacquet‐Francillon, F., Naissances de l'école du peuple, 1815–1870 (Editions de l'Atelier/Editions Ouvrières, 1995), 319pp., 170F., ISBN 2 7082 3162 6

Kaplan, R.E., Forgotten crisis. The Fin‐de‐Siècle Crisis of Democracy in France (Oxford/Herndon VA, 1995), 211pp. ISBN 185973 032 9

Knight, D., and Still, J., eds., Women and Representation (Women Teaching French Occasional Papers 3, 1995), 143pp., £5.00, ISBN 085 358 0421

Landau, P.E., L'Opinion juive et l'affaire Dreyfus (Albin Michel, 1995), 152pp., 40F., ISBN 2226 07553 4

Leak, A., Barthes: Mythologies (Grant &; Cutler, 1995), 82pp., £4.95, ISBN 0 7293 0370 5

Leser, E., Crazy Lyonnais: les infortunés d'une banque publique (Calmann‐Lévy, 1995), 268pp., 110F., ISBN 2 7021 2373 2

Molette, C., Prêtres, religieux, et religieuses dans la résistance au nazisme, 1940–1945 (Fayard, 1995), 225pp., 120F., ISBN 2 213 59446 5

Montbrial, T. de, et al., eds, Agir pour l'Europe. Les relations franco‐allemandes dans l'après‐guerre froide (Masson, 1995), 372pp., 249F., ISBN 2 225 84918 8

Pitte, J.‐R., ed., Géographie historique et culturelle de l'Europe (Presses de l'Université de Paris‐Sorbonne, 1995), 424pp., 195F., ISBN 2 84050 042 6

Portrait social. Les femmes (INSEE, 1995), 217pp., 80F., ISBN 2 11 066 240 9

Roudinesco, E., Jacques Lacan: esquisse d'une vie, histoire d'un système de pensée (Fayard, 1993), 723pp., 180F., ISBN 2 213 03146 0

Tallett, F., and Atkin, N., eds., Catholicism in Britain and France since 1789 (Hambledon Press, 1996), 256pp., £36.00

Weitz, M. (Collins), Sisters in the Resistance — How Women Fought to Free France 1940–1945 (John Wiley and Sons, 1995), 350pp., £19.99 hbk, ISBN 471 12676 4

Wokler, R., ed., Rousseau and Liberty (Manchester University Press, 1995), xviii + 299pp., £45.00 hbk ISBN 0 7190 3510 4, £15.99 pbk ISBN 0 7190 4721 8     

Triassic plant fossils from Pollock Road,Southland, New Zealand

Pole. M. S., & Raine. J. I., 1994:03:28. Triassic plant fossils from Pollock Road, Southland. New Zealand. Alcheringa 18, 147–159. ISSN 0311-5518.

Sedimentary rocks of the Murihiku Supergroup considered to be latest Triassic (Rhaetian), crop out about 10 m below the Glenham Porphyry, near Glenham, New Zealand. They contain the vegetative macrofossils Marchantites sp. (Hepaticae), Pachydermophyllum praecordillerae (Frenguelli) Retallack and Pachydermophyllum benmorensis Anderson & Anderson (Peltaspermaceae), cf. Dicroidium dubium var. dubium Anderson & Anderson (Corystospermaceae), Desmiophyllum sp. cf. D. indicum Sahni (possible conifer), and Gingkophytopsis sp. (possible progymnosperm).

Reproductive material includes ovulate structures (Peltaspermum cournanei sp. nov.), pollenbearing structures (Antevsia sp.) and probably seeds of the Peltaspermaceae, ? Umkomasia (Corystospermaceae), and a possible progymnosperm microsporophyll.

The palynoflora is dominated by bisaccate gymnospermous pollen, mainly Alisporites spp., consistent with the presence of corystosperm macrofossils. Moderately common pollen of Cycadopites spp. may be of peltasperm origin.