Solaranthus

{{Short description|Extinct genus of plants}}

{{Taxobox

| fossil_range = {{fossil_range |Middle Jurassic}}

| image =

| image_caption =

| regnum = Plantae

| unranked_divisio = ?Angiosperms

| genus = Solaranthus

| genus_authority = Zheng & Wang, 2010

| subdivision_ranks = Species

| subdivision = *S. daohugouensis Zheng & Wang, 2010 (type)

}}

Solaranthus is an extinct genus of plants with contentious affinities which has been found fossilized in the Jiulongshan Formation of China. It dates to the middle Jurassic period.{{cite journal |author1=Shaolin Zheng |author2=Xin Wang |year=2010 |title=An Undercover Angiosperm from the Jurassic of China |journal= Acta Geologica Sinica - English Edition |volume=84 |issue=4 |pages=895–902 |doi= 10.1111/j.1755-6724.2010.00252.x|bibcode=2010AcGlS..84..895S |s2cid=84697587 }} It was first named by Shaolin Zheng and Xin Wang in 2010 and the type species is Solaranthus daohugouensis.

Some authors interpret Solaranthus as an unusual angiosperm, while others consider it a cycadalean{{Cite journal |last1=Deng |first1=Shenghui |last2=Hilton |first2=Jason |last3=Glasspool |first3=Ian J. |last4=Dejax |first4=Jean |date=2014-11-17 |title=Pollen cones and associated leaves from the Lower Cretaceous of China and a re-evaluation of Mesozoic male cycad cones |journal=Journal of Systematic Palaeontology |volume=12 |issue=8 |pages=1001–1023 |doi=10.1080/14772019.2013.819817 |bibcode=2014JSPal..12.1001D |s2cid=85380782 |issn=1477-2019}} or peltaspermalean pollen organ.{{Cite journal |last1=Coiro |first1=Mario |last2=Doyle |first2=James A. |last3=Hilton |first3=Jason |title=How deep is the conflict between molecular and fossil evidence on the age of angiosperms? |journal=New Phytologist |language=en |doi=10.1111/nph.15708 |pmid=30681148 |issn=1469-8137 |year=2019|volume=223 |issue=1 |pages=83–99 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2019NewPh.223...83C }}