The Cairo Petrified Forest revisited

•Palaeobotanical investigation of the fossil woods from the Cairo Petrified Forest•The study increased the number of fossil dicot wood species reported from Egypt and Africa.•Floral exchange or migration between Africa and different palaeocontinents is reported.

The study of the wood flora of the Oligocene Cairo Petrified Forest (CPF) protected area is resumed here after five years. The study added seven Fabaceae species Afzelioxylon welkitii, Copaiferoxylon matanzensis* -Caesalpinoideae, Andiroxylon aegyptiacum* sp. nov.-Faboideae, Dichrostachyoxylon palaeonyassanum*, D. royaderum*, D. zirkelii* and Mimosoxylon tenax -Mimosoideae as new records to the area and five (asterisked) as new records to Egypt; one of which is new to science. Descriptions and illustrations are given for these five asterisked species. Descriptions of the other reported species were given in earlier publications mentioned in the text. Affinities and comparisons are given for the studied species. Climatic interpretations based on the anatomical features of all the CPF fossil taxa are presented. Moreover, the relationships and comparisons with the nearest living relatives are discussed.