ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Fossil fruit of Cocos L. (Arecaceae) from
Maastrichtian-Danian sediments of central India
and its phytogeographical significance
1 | Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany, 53 University Road, Lucknow 226 007, India |
Online publication date: 2014-06-17
Publication date: 2014-06-17
Acta Palaeobotanica 2014; 54(1): 67–75
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
A fossilised palm fruit of Cocos L. (C. binoriensis sp. nov.) is reported from the Binori Reserve Forest,
Ghansor, Seoni District, Madhya Pradesh, India. The fruit is a 3-dimensionally preserved drupe, ovoid with
clearly visible longitudinal ridges. The husk is made up of a thin smooth exocarp and fibrous mesocarp, with
vertical and horizontal fibres present on the inner surface of the endocarp. The fruit is Maastrichtian-Danian
in age and is the world’s oldest fossil record of Cocos. The genus Cocos is now distributed in coastal areas of
pantropical regions. The occurrence of Cocos along with coastal and mangrove remains such as Acrostichum,
Barringtonia, Nypa, Sonneratia and marine algae Distichoplax and Peyssonellia previously recorded from Deccan
Intertrappean beds further confirms the proximity of sea in the area in central India and indicates warm and
humid conditions. The presence of Cocos and previously recorded palaeoflora supports the existence of tropical
wet evergreen to semi-evergreen forests at the time of deposition in the area, in contrast to the dry to moist
deciduous forests existing today in central India. The probable reasons for the change in climatic conditions are
withdrawal of an arm of the sea from central India, the change in latitude, and a significant uplift of the Western
Ghats during post-trappean times.