Tree crown leaves of Paratingia wuhaia from the Asselian (early Early Permian) in situ preserved peat-forming flora, known as the Wuda Tuff Flora or the “vegetational Pompeii” in the Wuda Coalfield, reveal notable intraspecific variation in frond morphology. The once-pinnate compound leaves of Paratingia wuhaia consist of large and small pinnules. However, the original diagnosis only described the morphology of those pinnules of the middle to distal portions of the frond, leaving the small pinnules of the basal unknown. Newly collected crown frond specimens preserve both the basal and apical portions of the once-pinnate compound leaves, with both large and small pinnules visible. These specimens show that the small pinnules at the basal part of the frond are fan-shaped with 2–3 deep lobes or multiple slender teeth and with veins that radiate and bifurcate. This demonstrate that previously reported specimens of Paratingia datongensis with this type of small pinnule morphology from the same locality actually represents the basal and middle portions of the once-pinnate compound leaves of Paratingia wuhaia.
Yang et al. (2026) studied this question.