Taxonomical identification of a new petrified multiseeded capsular fruit from the Deccan Intertrappean beds of Bhutera, India

Abstract

The fossil flora of the Deccan Intertrappean beds of central India provides a unique opportunity for detailed investigation, taxonomic affinities and biogeographic relationships of plants during the late Cretaceous–early Palaeogene Period. The fossils found in cherts were deposited during quiescent intervals of lava flows. The present paper deals with a fossil fruit collected from the Deccan Intertrappean beds of Bhutera (lat. 22º06.58' N, long. 79º08.42' E) of Chhindwara District, Madhya Pradesh, India. The fruit was exposed in transverse oblique plane. The serial peel sections were taken for detailed study. The present fruit is small, dicotyledonous, obovate, unilocular, multiseeded, dehiscent capsular fruit. On comparison with modern dicotyledonous families, the fruit shows a close resemblance with Portulacaceae.