Fruits and seeds of the Brandon Lignite: Magnoliaceae

Investigation of the fruits and seeds of the Oligocene (?) Brandon Lignite of west-central Vermont (U.S.A.) is continued with a consideration of the seeds of the Magnoliaceae of the deposit. Following a review of the morphology of modern magnoliaceous seeds and a summary of the fossil record of seeds of the family, two new species are described: Magnolia septentrionalis, which is quite similar to the seeds of the extant Magnolia grandiflora of the southeastern United States, and Magnolia waltonii, which lacks a modern counterpart but is closely comparable to the seeds of Magnolia lignita of the European Mid-Tertiary. The presence of two species of Magnolia in this deposit supports the assumed warm-temperate nature of the climate in Vermont during Brandon time. Diagnostic features for the description of the seeds of the Magnoliaceae are proposed.