Cretaceous‐Paleogene Pinnate Palms From Central India in a Global Perspective: Evidence From the Leaf Fossils

ABSTRACT Although fossil pinnate palms have been widely reported globally, their occurrence in the Cretaceous‐Paleogene (K‐Pg) of India is poorly documented. Here, we extend the record by reporting eight taxa of pinnately compound arecoid palm leaves from the latest Maastrichtian (upper Cretaceous) to the earliest Danian (lower Palaeocene) sediments (approximately 67–64 million years ago) of Deccan Intertrappean beds, and placing them under the fossil‐genus Phoenicites A. Brongniart, Read and Hickey. Here, we also describe a fossil pinnate palm leaf specimen resembling modern pinnate leaves of Clinosperma Becc. (tribe Areceae Mart. ex Dumort.) as a new species, namely Phoenicites deccansis Kumar and Khan, sp. nov. The present fossil evidence and earlier reported palms from the same fossil locality collectively indicate the presence of tropical climatic conditions in the area at the time of deposition. The present finding from the Deccan Intertrappean beds strongly suggests the existence of pinnate palms on the Gondwana landmass that is now part of India. In addition, this study highlights the paleobiogeography of pinnate palms in a global perspective.