*Author for correspondence: melanie.devore@gcsu.edu ABSTRACT Melia yakimaensis Pigg, DeVore, Benedict & Creekmore (Meliaceae, Melioideae) is described for permineralized endocarps from the Middle Miocene Yakima Canyon lora of central Washing- ton State, U.S.A. Fruits are scleritized endocarps, 2.8–3.7 mm long and 3.2–3.6 mm across, with prominent vertical ridges, a lattened base and a pointed apex. hey are 5- to 9-loculate with subapical, axile placentation, and they bear a single, pendulous, mature seed and sometimes several small, presumably abortive seeds per locule. hey provide some of the irst evidence of Meliaceae subfam. Melioideae in the western North American Neogene and contribute to our understanding of the loristic diversity of the Middle Miocene Yakima Canyon “bog” lora. Key words: Columbia River Basalt Group, drupe, Melioideae, permineralization, septicidal dehiscence. he Meliaceae is a family of mostly tropical and subtropical trees and shrubs of Old and New World distribution. Authors have recognized variously two, four, or ive subfamilies, with the previous most authoritative treatments recogniz- ing four subfamilies, including Melioideae and Swietenioideae, and the monotypic genera Quiv- isianthe Baill. and Capuronianthus J.-F. Leroy (Pennington & Styles, 1975; Mabberley, 2011). Phylogenetic analyses of Meliaceae, based on nuclear and plastid DNA sequences (Muellner et al., 2003, 2006) including representatives of all four subfamilies, supported only Melioideae and Swietenioideae; Quivisianthe was placed in Melioideae and Capuronianthus in Swietenioideae, which is recognized as Cedreloideae in the most recent taxonomic treatment of the family (Mab- berley, 2011). he traditional subfamily Meli- oideae includes genera with leshy fruits and seeds lacking wings, such as the chinaberry, Melia L., which are typically bird- and fruit bat-dispersed (White, 1986; Voigt et al., 2011). Subfamily Ce- dreloideae contains taxa with capsules and winged seeds that are wind-dispersed, such as Swietenia Jacq. (mahogany) and Cedrela P. Browne. Except for the fossil wood record, particularly of the mahoganies, the fossil record of the family is not extensively distributed; however, it does also CHAPTER 11 FRUITS OF MELIA (MELIACEAE, MELIOIDEAE) FROM THE MIDDLE MIOCENE YAKIMA CANYON FLORA OF CENTRAL WASHINGTON STATE, U.S.A. Kathleen B. Pigg, Melanie L. DeVore,* John C. Benedict, and Richard M. Creekmore