First Fossil Legume Flower of Papilionoid Affinity from India

Fabaceae, presently a significant dominant taxon of the tropical vegetation of India, has been recognized as the most widespread and common component of Indian Cenozoic flora and known from numerous fossil woods, leaflets, pollen, and fruits. However, unfortunately no fossil legume flower has been reported from the Cenozoic sediments of India so far. Here, for the first time an extinct papilionoid flower is documented from the latest Neogene (Pliocene: Rajdanda Formation) sediments of Chotanagpur Plateau, eastern India. The fossil flower is characterized by a long ped-icel, five-lobed calyx, campanulate calyx tube with unequal calyx teeth, corolla with well-preserved standard and wing petal and is recognized as Neopapilionia indica Hazra, Hazra M and Khan gen. et sp. nov. The palaeoclimatic significance in terms of the present-day distribution of its modern analogue is also discussed.