Small pieces of silicified wood (diameter =2.0-2.5 cm) representing poorly preserved monocotyledonous steles (atactostele type) were collected by one of the authors (L.D.D.O.) From an atypical sandstone outcrop in the Açu Formation, Cretaceous of the Potiguar Basin, extreme northeastern Brasil, near the town of João Câmara, State of Rio Grande do Norte. The specimens permit reconstruction of the anatomical plan of the palm stems and preferentially allow comparisons with herbaceous or shrub-like recent forms, such as those of the informal Lepidocaryoid group. Nevertheless, the specimens are also comparable to the consistent leaf-axes (petioles) or frutiferous peduncles of plants of this group and also to members of the informal Arecoid group. Both groups have modern-day representatives in the region. Some questions concerning the problematic taxonomy of fóssil palm stems and axes are discussed and the phytogeographical and paleoenvironmental signiflcance of the find is pointed out
