A reappraisal of Lignier's Mesozoic fossil wood collection: Ages, nomenclature and taxonomy

In 1907 the French palaeobotanist Octave Lignier published a study of Jurassic fossil wood that was to become a seminal palaeoxylological work. Although the names he established were often used or recombined and his contribution is still often quoted today, the original material was never re-studied, except for one of the fifteen originally published samples. This material was only recently been rediscovered, after it was thought to be lost since the 1980s. Here we make use of this opportunity to re-evaluate stratigraphical attributions and ages of Lignier's original samples, to review their nomenclatural status and discuss their taxonomical assignment. Three new combinations are introduced: (Agathoxylon tranchantii (Lignier) comb. nov., Baieroxylon divesence (Lignier ex Seward) comb. nov., Brachyoxylon blevillense (Lignier) comb. nov.), and a new species (Agathoxylon crasseradiatum sp. nov.) is published based on Lignier's material. Baieroxylon divesence is anatomically closely related to modern ginkgo and hence an interesting milestone is the little documented history of Ginkgoales wood.