Paleobotanical studies in Fagaceae of the European Tertiary

A systematic reassessment of megafossil records of Fagaceae in Central Europe has been undertaken on the basis of leaf cuticular characters. The oldest representatives date back to the Eocene: Quercus subhercynica spec. nova, Dryophyllum furcinerve (Rossm.) Schmalh., Trigonobalanopsis rhamnoides (Rossm.) gen. & comb. nov. In the Oligocene other members of extant genera appear: Quercus rhenana (Weyl. & Kilpp.) Knobloch & Kvaček, Fagus attenuataGoepp., Lithocarpus saxonicus spec. nova. In the Neogene these ancient taxa (except in Fagus lineage), are gradually replaced by deciduous species of Quercus and Castanea. Trigonobalanus and Castanopsis are recorded by fruits (or wood) only.