Data from: Revision of Icacinaceae from the Early Eocene London Clay flora based on X-ray micro-CT

The Early Eocene (Ypresian) London Clay Formation contains one of the most
important fruit and seed assemblages from the Paleogene, including a large
diversity of taxa (>350 spp.) preserved as pyrite
permineralizations retaining 3D structure as well as anatomical detail.
Despite the importance of the flora for understanding angiosperm
biogeographic and evolutionary history, the majority of the fossil
material has not been revisited since the original taxonomic treatments by
E.M. Reid and M.E.J. Chandler. Given subsequent advances in our
understanding of angiosperm phylogeny and fruit morphology, coupled with
technological advances in imaging/visualizing fossil material, many of the
taxa represented in the flora deserve further study. Here we present a
revision of the pantropical family Icacinaceae using X-ray micro-computed
tomography (micro-CT) images of 21 species from the flora. Based on the
results, four new combinations are made, a new fossil-genus is established
for a distinctive species with affinities to the Phytocreneae, and emended
diagnoses are provided for eight taxa. Of the seven genera recognized from
the flora, only one, Iodes Blume, is extant. This study offers important
insights on the biogeographic and evolutionary history of Icacinaceae,
which is one of the most abundant and diverse components of the flora from
the London Clay Formation.