Coryphoid palm leaf fossils from the Maastrichtian-Danian of Central India with remarks on phytogeography of the Coryphoideae (Arecaceae).
A large number of fossil coryphoid palm wood and fruits have been reported from the Deccan Intertrappean beds of India. We document the oldest well-preserved and very rare costapalmate palm leaves and inflorescence like structures from the same horizon.


METHODS
A number of specimens were collected from Maastrichtian-Danian sediments of the Deccan Intertrappean beds, Ghughua, near Umaria, Dindori District, Madhya Pradesh, India. The specimens are compared with modern and fossil taxa of the family Arecaceae.
Sabalites dindoriensis sp. nov. is described based on fossil leaf specimens including basal to apical parts. These are the oldest coryphoid fossil palm leaves from India as well as, at the time of deposition, from the Gondwana- derived continents.


CONCLUSIONS
The fossil record of coryphoid palm leaves presented here and reported from the Eurasian localities suggests that this is the oldest record of coryphoid palm leaves from India and also from the Gondwana- derived continents suggesting that the coryphoid palms were well established and wide spread on both northern and southern hemispheres by the Maastrichtian-Danian. The coryphoid palms probably dispersed into India from Europe via Africa during the latest Cretaceous long before the Indian Plate collided with the Eurasian Plate.
Cenozoic Palaeoflorist Laboratory, Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany, 53 University Road, Lucknow- 226 007, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Rashmi
R
Srivastava
Cenozoic Palaeoflorist Laboratory, Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany, 53 University Road, Lucknow- 226 007, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Gaurav
G
Srivastava
Department of Geology, Indiana University, 1001 E. Tenth St. Bloomington- 47405, Indiana, United States of America.
David L
DL
Dilcher
D028023:Arecaceae / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000145:classification*; D005075:Biological Evolution; D005580:Fossils / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D019015:Geologic Sediments; D007194:India; D058974:Phylogeography; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000033:anatomy & histology*