Indian fossil monocotyledons: Current Status, Recent Developments and Future Directions

Abstract

The megafossil records of monocotyledons assigned to Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) onward from India have been reviewed along with their possible resemblances with the extant members to have a meaningful taxonomic and phylogenetic relationship. The early record of angiosperm megafossils assigned to the dicotyledons is from the Lower Cretaceous horizon of Rajmahal Hills, Bihar (now Jharkhand). A thorough search for the monocotyledons is yet to be made from these beds. The Deccan Intertrappean beds which belong to Maastrichtian (Upper Cretaceous) - Palaeocene age, are very rich in angiosperms comprising both dicotyledons and monocotyledons preserved especially in the form of permineralizations. The later epochs or series, however, are rich in compressions and impressions. The monocotyledonous flora is dominated mainly by palms (Family-Arecaceae) followed by the families of Scitamineae, Poaceae, Cyperaceae and Araceae.

In order to understand the early monocotyledonous diversification future work is to be concentrated in the Rajmahal Intertrappeans and contemporary horizons belonging to the Lower Cretaceous Period. Thorough search for entire herbaceous elements, woody juvenile and arborescent members (palms, pandans, aroids, liliales, grasses, Cyperaceae, etc.), reconstructions of entire plants based upon organic occurrences and associations in addition to the isolated reproductive and vegetative organs of taxonomic significance is to be given priority. In depth knowledge of morphology and anatomy of comparable extant flora is required for their phylogenetic assessments.