- Fossilised Kevda leaves found in Assam date back at least 24 million years
- Discovery predates Himalayas and human civilisation, says BSIP researchers
- Fossils match modern Kevda's shape, veins, and prickly leaf margins exactly
Fossilised leaves discovered in Assam's Makum Coalfield reveal that the fragrant Kevda plant has thrived on the Indian subcontinent for at least 24 million years. Researchers from the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP) in Lucknow recovered four well-preserved fossil leaves from the Tikak Parbat Formation and analysed them. The discovery was published in the journal Geobios. Highlighting the significance of the find, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) noted that this lineage of the fragrant plant is older than human civilisation and apparently predates the formation of the Himalayas.
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Analysis of the fossil leaves
Because global fossil records for this plant group are extremely rare, finding these specimens was a major breakthrough. A research team led by Harshita Bhatia and Gaurav Srivastava conducted a detailed comparative analysis using modern plant specimens and herbarium records.
The team found that the fossils shared the exact same long, sword-shaped structures, parallel veins, and prickly margins seen in today's Kevda plants.
This near-perfect match confirmed they belong to the Pandanaceae family, marking a major milestone for palaeobotany.
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Kevda's ancient roots
Kevda (also known as screw pine or Kewra) is famous for its rich, aromatic essence used in traditional Indian sweets, perfumes, medicine, and religious rituals.
These new fossils prove that this botanical lineage was established in India millions of years before the arrival of humans.
Furthermore, the discovery supports the theory that the Indian subcontinent acted as a vital refuge for ancient tropical plants while climate shifts wiped them out in other parts of the world.
By connecting older fossil records from Europe and North America (dating back 85 to 66 million years) with younger records in tropical Asia and Australia, this find bridges a major gap in the plant family's evolutionary timeline.
