Description

Liriodendron geminata von Reuver

Miocene

Braunkohle Lignite

Adendorf, Rhineland, Germany.

23mm fruit from coal deposit.

Plant.

Liriodendron is the genus for tulip trees which are included in the magnolia family, Magnoliaceae.  It dates back to the Late Cretaceous based on finds in North America and central Asia.  Fossils are found in Early Cenozoic sites in Europe and elsewhere but Liriodendron died out across much of its once-widespread range by the Pleistocene.  Today, just two species survive in eastern North America and southeast Asia.