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Evolution of the Australian flora through the Tertiary

  • Conference paper
Woody plants — evolution and distribution since the Tertiary

Abstract

The evolution of the Australian flora through the Tertiary has not been reviewed by a megafossil palaeobotanist for almost a century. Based on material available and published studies, the Australian Tertiary can be considered in three units: Eocene, OligoMiocene, and Pliocene. Key taxa in the Eocene include Casuarinaceae, Proteaceae, Fagaceae, Podocarpaceae, and Lauraceae. Many known Eocene deposits are interpreted as warm, humid rainforests.

Oligo-Miocene floras reflect a climatic deterioration, with greater occurrence of sclerophylly and xerophylly. A reduction of tropical taxa is seen with an increase of Myrtaceae and earliest records of Mimosaceae, Chenopodiaceae, and Poaceae. These trends continue into the Pliocene, which is not well represented in Australia.

Problems needing to be addressed include the discrepancy between the pollen and megafossil records of Nothofagus, the origins of Australia’s wet tropical taxa, and the role of fire in the early evolution of the Australian flora.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5000, Australia

    David C. Christophel

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  1. David C. Christophel
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Botanik, Universität Wien, Wien, Austria

    Friedrich Ehrendorfer

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© 1989 Springer-Verlag Wien

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Christophel, D.C. (1989). Evolution of the Australian flora through the Tertiary. In: Ehrendorfer, F. (eds) Woody plants — evolution and distribution since the Tertiary. Springer, Vienna. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-3972-1_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-3972-1_3

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Vienna

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-211-99938-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-7091-3972-1

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