Over the past few years, numerous fossil floras with well-preserved angiosperm flowers, fruits, seeds, and stamens have been discovered from Cretaceous strata and provided an invaluable tool for evaluating patterns in early angiosperm organization and diversification. Most of these floras are from Europe and North America, see Cretaceous angiosperms from Europe and North America, while only few floras have been described from other parts of the world. A new fossil flora from the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian-Turonian) of Sarbay, western Kazakhstan, discovered by Dr. S. Zhilin, St. Petersburg, represents the first substantial record of Cretaceous angiosperm reproductive structures outside the European-North American realm. A collaborative project studying this material has recently been initiated between St. Petersburg, Jerusalem, and Stockholm. Further search for similar angiosperm fossils in other parts of Asia has also been initiated by S. Zhilin.A preliminary estimate indicates that more than 100 taxa of angiosperms are present. So far 11 species of magnoliid affinity, including magnoliaceous, illiciaceous, and lauraceous fossils, have been identified. The Kazakhstan angiosperm fossils are concordant with contemporary European-North American floras described previously in their small size and level of organization, and there are several genera in common between the floras of Asia, Europe, and North America. Most of the Kazakhstan genera are, however, restricted to Asia.The main object of the research program is to describe the fossil angiosperms in detail, to establish their phylogenetic position, and to evaluate the material in a global perspective regarding early angiosperm dispersal and diversification patterns.Coworkers:
S. Zhilin, St. Petersburg
S. Frumin, Jerusalem
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