Bennettitales in the Rhaetian flora of Wüstenwelsberg, Bavaria, Germany

The diverse bennettitalean plant remains from the Rhaetian of Wüstenwelsberg, Franconia, southern Germany,are described by means of macromorphological and epidermal anatomy; the study is part of the ongoing examinationof this recently excavated and excellently preserved fossil flora. The taxa identified include four species ofPterophyllum, one species of Anomozamites, two species of Nilssoniopteris and one species of Wielandiella withsterile leaves, bracts and ovulate reproductive organs. In addition, an enigmatic type of bennettitalean microsporangiateorgan has been obtained, remains of which from the Rhaetian of Greenland had been assigned toBennettistemon. However, the material from Wüstenwelsberg is much more complete and is assigned to a newgenus, viz. Welsbergia gen. nov., with its type species Welsbergia bursigera (Harris) comb. nov., based on theorgan's unique architecture. The microsporangiate organs are always exclusively associated with the sterile foliagePterophyllum aequale. Comparison of the flora fromWüstenwelsbergwith adjacent Rhaetian floras revealeddistinct local differences in the bennettitalean constitution, which are discussed in the light of palaeogeographyand plant dispersal patterns