Junggaropitys, a new gymnosperm stem from the Middle-Late Triassic of Junggar Basin, Northwest China, and its palaeoecological and palaeoclimatic implications

A novel well-preserved woody stem Junggaropitys dalongkouensis gen. et sp. nov. was collected from the Middle-Late Triassic sediments of the Karamay Formation in the Junggar Basin, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Northwest China. The permineralized wood is characterized by a small homogeneous pith, endarch primary xylem and Protophyllocladoxylon-type secondary xylem. The quantitative growth-ring analyses of Junggaropitys dalongkouensis indicate that the species is evergreen, and the leaf longevity may be 3-6 years. The combination of the fossil flora and growth-ring analyses suggests that the Junggaropitys dalongkouensis developed under irregularly stressed warm-temperate conditions.