A PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT OF THE EOCENE APPIAN WAY FLORA, VANCOUVER ISLAND, B.C

The Eocene Appian Way fossil locality occurs as a Paleogene anomaly amongst the Upper Cretaceous Nanaimo Group sediments just south of Campbell River on the east coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Fossil-bearing calcareous concretions occur within greywacke beds and are interpreted as representing a shallow marine depositional environment based on the faunal assemblage of decapods, bivalves, gastropods and echinoderms, in addition to teeth and vertebrae. The flora is composed of vegetative and reproductive organs anatomically preserved in three-dimensions. The delicate tissues of moss gametophytes are present. Fern rhizomes, leaves and sori have been observed and species of Gleicheniaceae, Osmundaceae, Schizaeaceae, Cyatheaceae and Dennstaedtiaceae are present in the rocks. Conifer stems, leaves, pollen and ovulate cones are known. Flowers, fruits, seeds, leaves, stems and roots of angiosperms are particularly common. Flowers of Lauraceae and Platanaceae are common and fruits belonging to Juglandaceae (2 spp.), Fagaceae (3 spp.), Lauraceae, Platanaceae, Icacinaceae, Annonaceae, Cornaceae (3 spp.) and Betulaceae have been identified. Isolated monocot vegetative and reproductive organs are also known. With the addition of numerous unidentified forms, there are at least sixty taxa of plants present at the locality, making it one of the most diverse Eocene floral assemblages known. The preservation of non-vascular, free-sporing, seed and fruit bearing plants at one fossil locality is rare and allows for a balanced interpretation of this flora.