Kingiodendron and Enterolobium Eocene woods from the El Bosque formation, Chiapas, Mexico

Fabaceae are one of the most diverse flowering-plant groups today, and in Mexico their presence is well represented since the late Cretaceous. In this work are reported two fossil woods from the El Bosque Formation, early Eocene of Southern Mexico. These new records show close resemblance with the modern wood of Kingiodendron (Detarioideae) and Enterolobium (Caesalpinioideae). Detarioideae subfamily show a diversity much higher in tropical Africa than in South America or Asia, while the mimosoid clade diversity is pantropical. The relicts of both groups are known from the Paleocene onwards around the world. Comparing the fossil record and the fossils here studied, it is possible to confirm the presence of Fabaceae in Mexican territory since the Cretaceous and to suggest that the family was one of the most important components of the earliest forests in Mexico through the Cenozoic. Additionally, in this work describes the oldest record of the genera fossil for Kingiodendron and Enterolobium worldwide, which contributes towards the understanding the paleo-dispersal pathways of both groups within the early branching Fabaceae.

Automated summary

This study reports two fossil woods from the early Eocene El Bosque Formation in southern Mexico, which show close resemblance with modern woods of the Kingiodendron and Enterolobium genera. The findings confirm the presence of Fabaceae in Mexican territory since the late Cretaceous and suggest that the family was a significant component of early forests in Mexico. Additionally, this work describes the oldest records of the Kingiodendron and Enterolobium genera worldwide, contributing to the understanding of their paleo-dispersal pathways within the Fabaceae family.