Is Santaniella a ranuculid? Re-assessment of this enigmatic fossil angiosperm from the Lower Cretaceous (Aptian, Crato Konservat-Lagerstätte, Brazil) provides a new interpretation.

The presence of seeds in a marginal-linear placentation and enclosed in a follicle supports the fossil as an angiosperm. However, even though most characters are clearly recognizable, its combination of characters does not provide strong support for a close relationship to any extant order of flowering plants. Its position under the magnoliid clade is intriguing, and based on plicate carpels it is definitely a mesangiosperm. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.