Where have early palm fossils been discovered?

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Dense grove of acai palm trees (Euterpe oleracea) with slender trunks and abundant green fronds growing on Combu Island in Belem, Para, Brazil. — Palm Wild acai palms (*Euterpe oleracea*) growing on Combu Island in Belem, state of Para in Brazil.

The earliest known palm fossils date back to the Late Cretaceous period, approximately 80 million years ago. These initial specimens, specifically leaves of Sabal magothiensis and stems of Palmoxylon cliffwoodensis, were discovered in the region that is now the United States.1

By the beginning of the Eocene Epoch, about 56 million years ago, palms had undergone a significant radiation and were widespread across several regions, including:

United States
Canada
India
Europe
China

Interestingly, many of these fossils have been found in geographic locations where palms do not naturally occur today.1