**Executive Summary**
Scientists from the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences have identified 24-million-year-old Kevda (*Pandanus*) fossil leaves in Assam’s Makum Coalfield. The study, recently published in the journal *Geobios*, establishes India as a critical refuge for ancient tropical plant lineages during global climate shifts. These findings confirm that the Kewra plant is a living survivor of India’s ancient forests, predating human civilization and the formation of the Himalayas.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Discovery and Identification**
* Researchers recovered four well-preserved fossil leaves from the Tikak Parbat Formation of the Makum Coalfield in Assam.
* Detailed morphological and microscopic analyses revealed features identical to modern Kevda, including long sword-shaped leaves, parallel veins, and characteristic marginal prickles.
* The fossils date back to approximately 24 million years ago, confirming the plant's long-standing presence in the Indian subcontinent.
* **Evolutionary History**
* The discovery fills a significant gap in the evolutionary history of the *Pandanaceae* family by linking 85–66 million-year-old records from the Northern Hemisphere with younger records in Asia and Australia.
* While *Pandanus* ancestors once had a wide distribution across Europe and North America, global cooling approximately 34 million years ago restricted the lineage to tropical regions.
* The study proves that Kevda is an ancient lineage established in India millions of years before humans, rather than a recent component of local vegetation.
* **Environmental Insights**
* The research highlights India’s historical role as a "refuge" for ancient plant lineages during periods of intense climate change.
* Data integrated from geological, palaeobotanical, and palaeoclimatic evidence helps scientists reconstruct ancient environments and understand how plants respond to environmental shifts.
**Impact Analysis**
**Scientific Community (Paleobotanists and Evolutionary Biologists)**
**Impact**
The discovery provides a critical missing link in the global fossil record of the *Pandanaceae* family and offers a model for studying plant migration and survival.
**Action Required**
Researchers should utilize the published findings in *Geobios* to further investigate biodiversity evolution and refine models for future ecosystem responses to climate change.
**Government and Environmental Agencies**
**Impact**
The findings underscore the importance of Northeast India as a zone of ancient biodiversity and a historical sanctuary for plant lineages.
**Action Required**
The Department of Science and Technology (DST) and related bodies should continue supporting investigations into the rich fossil flora of the region to better understand India’s role in global biodiversity.
**Cultural and Traditional Industries (Kewra Essence Producers)**
**Impact**
The study provides scientific validation of the deep historical roots of the Kevda plant, which is central to Indian sweets, traditional medicine, and religious practices.
**Action Required**
No immediate technical action is required, but stakeholders can leverage this scientific history to highlight the cultural and evolutionary heritage of the plant.
Key Entities Referenced
Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP): An autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology that led the study to trace the evolutionary history of the Kevda plant.
Makum Coalfield, Assam: The primary location and geological site where 24-million-year-old Kevda fossil leaves were recovered from the Tikak Parbat Formation.
Department of Science and Technology (DST): The administrative department under which the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences operates and conducts its research.
Geobios: The scientific journal in which the discovery was published, linking fossil records from Europe, North America, and tropical Asia.
Harshita Bhatia and Gaurav Srivastava: The scientists responsible for collecting and conducting detailed morphological and microscopic analyses of the fossil leaves.
Ministry of Science & Technology
Plant of yielding the fragrant kewra is older than
human civilization & predates Himalaya formation
प्रव तथ: 15 JUL 2026 4:09PM by PIB Delhi
Fossil leaves recovered from a coalfield in the North East state of Assam have revealed that Kevda plant
well known for the fragrant kewra essence, used in sweets, traditional medicine and also in temples has
survived in the Indian subcontinent for at least 24 million years and is a living survivor from India's
ancient tropical forests.
The study helps in understanding the role of India as a refuge for ancient plant lineages, the evolution of
biodiversity during periods of climate change as well as comprehending future ecosystem responses.
Scientists, through regular investigations of the rich fossil flora of northeast India, chanced upon fossil
leaves showing remarkable similarities to modern Kevda-- the fossil records of which are extremely rare
worldwide.
This led the scientists from Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, (BSIP) Lucknow, an autonomous
institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) to trace the evolutionary history of this
culturally important plant.
Harshita Bhatia and Gaurav Srivastava collected the four well-preserved fossil leaves recovered from the
Tikak Parbat Formation of the Makum Coalfield, Assam, dating to about 24 million years ago, and studied
them using detailed morphological and microscopic analyses.
The fossils closely resembled modern Kevda leaves. They have preserved distinctive features that are still
seen in modern Kevda plants, including long sword-shaped leaves, parallel veins, and characteristic
marginal prickles.Fig 1. Map showing the fossil locality (Makum Coalfield, Assam) from where the fossil leaves were
collected belonging to 24 Million years in age.
They compared them with modern Kevda species preserved in herbaria and botanical databases, as well as
previously reported fossil records from different parts of the world.
Detailed comparisons with modern species and fossil records from around the world confirmed their
affinity with the Kevda family (Pandanaceae). This shows that this ancient plant lineage was already
established in India millions of years before humans appeared on Earth.
Geological, palaeobotanical, and palaeoclimatic evidence were integrated to reconstruct the evolutionary
history and ancient environment of these plants.
Today, Pandanus is mainly restricted to tropical and subtropical regions. However, fossil evidence from
Europe and North America, dating back 85–66 million years, indicates that its ancestors once had a much
wider distribution across the Northern Hemisphere. As global climates cooled after about 34 million years
ago, these plants gradually disappeared from many regions and became restricted to the tropics.Fig 2: Fossil leaf of Pandanus showing marginal prickles (black arrows), M-shaped transverse section
and mid-vein (yellow arrows), characteristics of the Pandanaceae family. Scale bar: 1cm unless specified.
The fossils from Assam show that India served as an important refuge where this ancient lineage survived
while it disappeared from many other parts of the world.
The discovery published in the journal Geobios, fills an important gap in the evolutionary history of the
family by linking older fossil records from Europe and North America (85–66 million years ago) with
younger records from tropical Asia and Australia. The study also highlights India's role as an important
refuge for ancient tropical plant lineages during periods of global climate change, revealing that Kevda
has a deep evolutionary history in the Indian subcontinent rather than being a recent component of Indian
vegetation.
The findings improve our understanding of the evolution of tropical plants, the development of Indian
biodiversity and the history of how plants responded to past environmental changes.
Publication link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geobios.2026.05.001.
*****
NKR/FT
(रलीज़ आईडी: 2284832) आगंतुक पटल : 946
इस वज्ञ को इन भाषाओ ंम पढ़: Urdu , ही