Abstract
Two new fossil woods resembling Eucalyptus L’ H’erit of the family Myrtaceae are described from the Palaeocene and Eocene successions of Gujarat and Rajasthan, respectively. They are characterized by diffuse-porous wood, heavily tylosed vessels arranged in echelon, vasicentic tracheids, simple perforations, thin rays and non septate fibres with bordered pits. Eucalyptus is considered native to Australia as most of its species are found there. The fossil records of Eucalyptus are hitherto known from the Cenozoic successions of Argentina, New Zealand, Australia and India. The genus is phytogeographically important as it has a wide range of distribution in the geologic past which suggests its long history affiliated with different Gondwanaland continents. A warm and humid coastal environment is inferred in western India during the Palaeogene on the basis of the earlier records of the genus.
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Shukla, A., Mehrotra, R.C. & Guleria, J.S. Palaeophytogeography of Eucalyptus L’ H’erit: New fossil evidences. J Geol Soc India 84, 693–700 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12594-014-0180-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12594-014-0180-5