The first fossil record of Thryallis Mart. (Malpighiaceae) winged fruits from India

Thryallis Mart. (Malpighiaceae) is characterised by a globose schizocarp of (2–) 3 tardily separating three rugose nutlets subtended by five persistent spreading equal calyces with a prominent midvein. It has no previous fossil record. Here, we report and describe for the first time four well‐preserved fossil winged fruit specimens assigned to modern Thryallis Mart. from the Early Eocene of the Gurha lignite mine, Rajasthan, western India. Together with detailed physiognomy and principal coordinate analysis (PCoA), the Early Eocene winged fruits here are described as a new species, Thryallis eocenicus Ali, Patel and Khan sp. nov. It is characterized by five equally persistent accrescent, eglandular sepals (wings), narrowly elliptic to obovate wing lobes, acute apex, little constricted base, slightly erose margin, strong single midvein in each wing, and a prominent trilobate rugose nut. The debut of this currently South American genus Thryallis in India provides first‐hand material of Malpighian winged fruits and underscores the evolutionary significance of this angiosperm in the area. Notably, the modern Thryallis does not grow in India at the present day and is restricted only to South America. Here, we also discuss the possible causes of its disappearance from the present‐day arid condition of western India.