First Fossil Fruit of Mallotus Lour. (Euphorbiaceae) from the Early Eocene Lignite Mine of Rajasthan, India

The present study deals with the reporting and description of the first fossil record of Mallotus Lour. fruit from all over the world. The edible parts of plants are too soft to be preserved and therefore, are rare in fossil records. Fossil fruit of Mallotus mollissimus (Geiseler) Airy Shaw (Euphorbiaceae), a rainforest tree, is described from the early Eocene Palana Formation (Gurha lignite mine) of northwest India. The occurrence of M. mollissimus, along with earlier described fossils from the area demonstrates the existence of dense tropical forests in the area during the depositional time in contrast to the desertic conditions in the area today. This discovery from the early Eocene succession substantiates the Gondwanan origin for the genus.