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Cocos sahnii Kaul: A Cocos nucifera L.-like fruit from the Early Eocene rainforest of Rajasthan, western India

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Abstract

Cocos sahnii Kaul, a fossil palm fruit, is validated and described from the Fuller’s earth deposits of Kapurdi village of Rajasthan considered as Early Eocene in age. The fossil best resembles the genus Cocos, particularly Cocos nucifera L., which is now a common coastal element thriving in highly moist conditions. The recovery of this coconut-like fruit, along with earlier described evergreen taxa from the same formation, suggests the existence of typical tropical, warm and humid coastal conditions during the depositional period. The present arid to semi-arid climatic conditions occurring in Rajasthan indicate drastic climate change in the region during the Cenozoic. The possible time for the onset of aridity in the region which caused the total eradication of semi-evergreen to evergreen forests is discussed, as well as the palaeobiogeography of coconuts.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are thankful to Dr NC Mehrotra, Director, Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany, Lucknow, for providing constant encouragement, infrastructure facilities and permission to publish this work. Thanks are also due to the anonymous reviewers for their helpful suggestions to improve the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany, 53 University Road, Lucknow, India

    Anumeha Shukla, Rakesh C Mehrotra & Jaswant S Guleria

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  1. Anumeha Shukla
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  2. Rakesh C Mehrotra
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  3. Jaswant S Guleria
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Correspondence to Anumeha Shukla.

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Corresponding editor: R Geeta

[Shukla A, Mehrotra RC and Guleria JS 2012 Cocos sahnii Kaul: A Cocos nucifera L.-like fruit from the Early Eocene rainforest of Rajasthan, western India. J. Biosci. 37 1–8] DOI

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Shukla, A., Mehrotra, R.C. & Guleria, J.S. Cocos sahnii Kaul: A Cocos nucifera L.-like fruit from the Early Eocene rainforest of Rajasthan, western India. J Biosci 37, 769–776 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12038-012-9233-3

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