New occurrences of Altingiaceae fossil woods from the Miocene and upper Pleistocene of South China with phytogeographic implications

Mummified fossil woods of Liquidambar from the Miocene of the Guiping Basin of Guangxi and the upper Pleistocene sediments of the Maoming Basin of Guangdong, South China are recognized as the new species Liquidambar guipingensis sp. nov. and the extant species Liquidambar formosana Hance, respectively. The fossil wood of L. guipingensis shows the greatest structural affinity to the extant species Liquidambar excelsa (Noronha) Oken, which is widespread from SW China and NE India (Assam) through Myanmar and Malaysia to Indonesia. The finding of L. guipingensis may be considered as evidence for the early diversification of this lineage that occurred at least partly outside the modern range of this extant species. The fossil wood of L. formosana from the Maoming Basin represents the only Pleistocene megafossil of Altingiaceae known to date, and provides confirmation for its presence in the interglacial vegetation of South China prior the Last Glacial Maximum.