Eriospermocormus indicus gen. et sp nov (Liliales: Eriospermaceae):: first record of a monocotyledonous corm from the Deccan Intertrappean beds of India

Eriospermocormus indicus gen. et sp. nov. is a permineralized monocotyledonous corm resembling Eriospermum Jacq. (Order Liliales, Family Eriospermaceae), described from the Deccan Intertrappean beds at Nawargaon, Wardha District, Maharashtra, India. It is a vertically and laterally compressed rhizomatous tuber exhibiting seven nodes within a height of 4.0 cm. Fibrous roots emerge in rings from the internodes. The axis has a thin periderm, thin cortex and wide vascular region. The vascular region consists of an atactostele composed of Type-I and Type-II fibrovascular bundles and amphivasal bundles in almost equal number dispersed irregularly in the aerenchymatous ground tissue. The morpho-anatomical characters suggest a resemblance to monocotyledonous corms belonging to the Liliales, particularly Eriospermum (Family Eriospermaceae). © 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.