Dashrath Kapgate

J. M. Patel College-Bhandara · Botany Department

The genus Surangea Chitaley et Sheikh, based on permineralized specimens from the Deccan Intertrappean Beds of central India, was originally considered to represent a fern megasporangium. Reexamination of original material and new specimens has revealed that the structures are capsular fruits with well-defined seeds, rather than megasporangia. We d...

An Upper Cretaceous paleolake near Jamsavli in the Mandla Lobe of central India has provided a unique opportunity to understand paleoecological conditions during Deccan volcanism. The sedimentary deposits of this paleolake are dominated by freshwater aquatic and semiaquatic flora, such as algae Pediastrum, Lecaniella, dinocysts (Pierceites deccanen...

Manchester S.R., Kapgate D.K., Ukey R.W. & Wanjari M. 2022. Infructescences, fruits and seeds of the distinctive fossil palm, Tricoccites trigonum K.P. Rode from Mohgaonkalan in Chhindwara District, Madhya Pradesh, India: three-dimensional morphology, and anatomy. Geophytology 50(1&2): 49-60. Infructescences and fruits of the extinct genus Tricocci...

Premise of research. Fossil fruits and seeds of Zingiberales provide essential data on the past diversity and distribution of the order, augmenting our understanding of the evolutionary history of gingers, bananas, and relatives. Methodology. Three different types of zingiberalean fruits and seeds from the Late Cretaceous–early Cenozoic Deccan Inte...

Palynological study of intertrappean sediments of Mahurzari in Nagpur district, Maharashtra, a known megaflora rich locality, has indicated presence of diverse pollen and spore assemblage. The palynoassemblage includes six genera and six species of pteridophytes dominated by Cyathidites and Lygodiumsporites and four genera and four species of angio...

Distinctive permineralized fruits of Baccatocarpon mohgaoense (Paradkar & Dixit) comb. nov. have been collected from several sites in the late Maastrichtian of the Deccan Intertrappean beds of Central India. We describe the peculiar fruits in detail, based on combined investigations by reflected light and X-ray CT scanning. Three-dimensional render...

The fossil record of palms (Arecaceae) is essential for understanding the deep evolutionary and geographical history of the family. We studied palm fruit fossils from the c. 67-64-Myr-old Deccan Intertrappean Beds of India to infer the systematic relationships of the fossils and their relevance to palm evolution. Using X-ray micro-computed tomograp...

Understanding the flora preserved in the Late Cretaceous–Early Paleocene Deccan volcanic associated sediments is significant as it gives insight into the floral composition during Deccan volcanic activity. This time interval is also associated with extinction and evolution of many angiosperm families on the Indian subcontinent. The record of palyno...

Corrigendum: After publication, the authors noticed that the fossil species Coahuilacarpon phytolaccoides was misspelled. It was originally written as Coahuilocarpon, with an "o" and not an "a". This error has been amended throughout the article.

Angiosperm-dominated floras of the Late Cretaceous are essential for understanding the evolutionary, ecological, and geographic radiation of flowering plants. The Late Cretaceous–early Paleogene Deccan Intertrappean Beds of India contain angiosperm-dominated plant fossil assemblages known from multiple localities in central India. Numerous monocots...

Corresponding video for text Fig. 4G. Serial digital transverse sections through fruit showing vascular bundle that enters the top of the locule and continues into style. NHMUK V35059.

Serial digital transverse sections through entire infructescence from NHMUK specimen V35059.

Serial digital transverse sections through entire specimen NHMUK V35036. The infructescence is preserved primarily as a three-dimensional impression in the chert. However, some tissues like those of the perianth are permineralized in the rock matrix.

Serial digital transverse sections through top of fruit in text Fig. 1E, showing channels in fruit, perianth, and persistent styles. NHMUK V35059.

Surface rendering of specimen NHMUK V35036, shown in text Fig. 2A&2B, in which infructescence is preserved as a three-dimensional impression.

3D reconstruction shown in text Figs. 3D&3E. File must be opened in Adobe Acrobat Reader. 3D model can be freely rotated and sectioned in custom planes. Note that this is a surface rendering and does not show internal details of the specimen. Perianth is omitted from this reconstruction. Based on specimen NHMUK V35059.

Volume rendering of specimen NHUMUK V35036 showing overall shape of infructescence. Note the compact, nearly globose shape of this particular infructescence, and the fuzzy appearance produced by style and perianth spines.

During the Cretaceous and Paleogene, the Indian subcontinent was isolated as it migrated north from the east coast of Africa to collide with Asia. As it passed over the Reunion hotspot in the late Maastrichtian–early Danian, a series of lava flows extruded, known as the Deccan Traps. Also during this interval, there was a major mass-extinction even...

The paper describes anatomical details of fossil wood of family Ochnaceae, Ochnaceoxylon tertiera from the Deccan Intertrappean sediments. The wood is preserved in silicified chert from the Deccan Intertrappean beds exposed in a quarry near the village of Mahurzari, India about 14 km from Nagpur (lat. 21º13.280' N, long. 79º0.84' E). The wood descr...

Unlabelled: • Premise of the study: Despite the inferred Cretaceous origin of the Vitaceae, fossils of the grape family are relatively young, with the oldest previously known examples limited to the Paleocene of Europe and North America. New fossil evidence indicates that the family was already present in India in the Late Cretaceous (Maastricht...

A new fossil palm wood Palmoxylon dhabaensis n. sp. is described from the Deccan Intertrappean sediments exposed at Dhaba, Nagpur District, Maharashtra, India. The wood is fairly well preserved and reveals all the important anatomical features for its identification. It shows dermal, subdermal and central zones. The wood is characterized by the fre...

Spicate inflorescences with attached flowers from the Deccan Intertrappean beds at Mahurzari, Nagpur District, Maharastra, India augment our understanding of the late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) extinct angiosperm genus, Sahnipushpam, which was previously documented only from detached flowers and fruits. We studied new specimens as well as earlier p...

A diversified palynoassemblage has been recorded from the Singpur intertrappean of Chhindwara District, Madhya Pradesh, that has earlier yielded megafloral remains. The section is strategic as it is located between the Chhindwara-Mandla-Jabalpur (CMJ) sector to the north and Nand-Dongargaon (ND) basin to the south, that have so far produced a major...

A permineralized conifer pollen cone is described here from the Uppermost Cretaceous Deccan Intertrappean beds of Mohgaonkalan, Chhindwara District, Madhya Pradesh, India. The cone is small, exposed longitudinally showing a central axis with 10-12 sporophylls on each side. Each sporophyll consists of a stalk and expanded head. A few microsporophyll...