Abstract
A detailed survey is presented of the early Miocene flora of the abandoned Kristina Mine at Hrádek nad Nisou in the Hrádek part of the Zittau Basin, North Bohemia. It is based on leaf morphological and anatomical study of macrofossils recovered since 1963 with additional information on carpological records.
The flora belongs to the Younger Mastixioid Floras sensu Mai (1964) and is correlated with the early Miocene floristic assemblage ("Florenkomplex") of Eichelskopf-Wiesa (Mai 1995), i.e., the floristic zone VI in Saxony sensu Mai (1967). It includes in the foliage record representatives of ferns (Thelypteridaceae, Polypodiales fam. inc.), conifers (Pinaceae, Cupressaceae, Geinitziaceae) and angiosperms (prevailingly Lauraceae, Fagaceae, rarely Hamamelidaceae, Myricaceae, Juglandaceae, Leguminosae (including Leguminosites hradekensis (E.
KNOBLOCH et KVAČEK) KVAČEK et TEODORIDIS comb. n.), Oleaceae and uncertain families). The carpological record adds, in addition to the above families, representatives of Magnoliaceae, Nymphaeaceae, Schisandraceae (incl.
Illiciaceae), Menispermaceae, Cornaceae, Lythraceae (incl. Microdiptera donata (HOLÝ) KVAČEK et TEODORIDIS comb. n.), Halorhagaceae, Altingiaceae, Ulmaceae, Rosaceae, Ericaceae, Symplocaceae, Styracaceae, Rutaceae, Aquifoliaceae, Staphyleaceae, Vitaceae, Sabiaceae, Caprifoliaceae, Potamogetonaceae, Arecaceae, Cyperaceae, Stemonaceae and Sparganiaceae.
Vegetation is classified as broad-leaved evergreen forest type according to the new statistical method developed for zonal forest formations (IPR vegetation analysis). Palaeoenvironmental and climatic proxy data based on angiosperm leaf record combine the physiognomic (CLAMP, LMA) with Nearest Living Relatives (CA) techniques.
The obtained climate proxy datasets correspond more or less with those of stratigraphically analogous sites from Wackersdorf, Wiesa and Berzdorf in Germany as well as the summarised proxy datasets of the Mydlovary Fm. in South Bohemia.