Fossil wood of Dipterocarpus from Nagri Formation (Middle Siwalik) of India: palaeoclimatic and phytogeographical significance

Abstract

The paper reports the occurrence of fossil wood of Dipterocarpus (Dipterocarpaceae) from sandstone of Nagri Formation (Middle Siwalik), Saharanpur District, Uttar Pradesh, India. Present distribution of nearest living relatives (NLRs) of the fossil wood in the evergreen forests of Indo–Malaysian region indicates prevalence of tropical moist conditions in the Himalayan foot–hills in the Miocene in contrast to present day drier and cooler climate.