title: A new family of leafy liverworts from the middle Eocene of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Morphology is a reflection of evolution, and as the majority of biodiversity that has lived on Earth is now extinct, the study of the fossil record provides a more complete picture of evolution. This study investigates anatomically preserved bryophyte fossils from the Eocene Oyster Bay Formation of Vancouver Island. While the bryophyte fossil record is limited in general, anatomically preserved bryophytes are even more infrequent; thus, the Oyster Bay bryophytes are a particularly significant addition to the bryophyte fossil record.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fossils occur in two marine carbonate nodules collected from the Appian Way locality on the eastern shore of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, and were prepared using the cellulose acetate peel technique.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The fossils exhibit a novel combination of characters unknown among extinct and extant liverworts: (1) three-ranked helical phyllotaxis with underleaves larger than the lateral leaves; (2) fascicled rhizoids associated with the leaves of all three ranks; (3) Anomoclada-type endogenous branching.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A new liverwort family, Appianacae fam. nov., is established based upon the novel combination of characters. Appiana gen. nov. broadens the known diversity of bryophytes and adds a hepatic component to one of the richest and best characterized Eocene floras.
authors: Department of Biological Sciences, Humboldt State University, Arcata, California 95521, USA.
authors: Christopher M
authors: CM
authors: Steenbock
authors: Ruth A
authors: RA
authors: Stockey
authors: Graham
authors: G
authors: Beard
authors: Alexandru M F
authors: AM
authors: Tomescu