XVI International Botanical Congess

The petrified specimen collected from New exposure near Amla, of Madhya Pradesh, India. It reveals the widespread occurrence of palms in the Upper Cretaceous and Paleocene tertiary of Deccan Intertrappean Beds of India. It is a sector of root bearing region of palm stem. It has numerous cortical and extra cortical roots on the peripheral and lower sides varies from 0.3 to 0.8 cm in diameter. Root cortex shows outer compact parenchyhmatous, middle aerenchymatous and inner few layered parenchymatous zones. Stele varies 2-3 mm in diameter with 200 - 30 xylem arches alternating with phloem patches embedded in the conjunctive tissue. Pith parenchymatous with arranged cells. Stem shows broad ground tissue with irregularly oriented vascular bundles in three zones. Dermal zone represented by peripheral sclerotic cylinder in which vascular bundles, few leaf traces and patches of ground tissue packed. Fibro - vascular bundles 0.35 - 0.45 mm in size, 50 - 60/cm2 with F/V ratio - 1.5/1. Sub dermal zone shows 50 - 55/cm2 with F/V ratio - 1/1. Central zone marked with freely Scattered Fibrovascular bundles 0.45 to 0.60 mm in size, 40 - 50/cm2 with F/V radio 0.8/1. Fibrous bundles & leaf trace bundles present throughout the stem. After comparison with living and Fossil palms it is named as Palmoxylon intertrappea.