GUWAHATI: A 24-million-year-old fossil of the Kewra (Pandanus) plant has been discovered in the Makum Coalfield in the Margherita area of Assam's Tinsukia district, offering fresh insights into the region's ancient floral ecosystem.
According to the findings, the fossil suggests that the Pandanus lineage, believed to have originated around 85 million years ago, reached the Indian subcontinent approximately 24 million years ago. The discovery sheds light on the migration of this ancient plant and highlights Assam's long-standing role in preserving the region's rich botanical history.
The fossil provides valuable evidence of the diverse plant life that once thrived in Northeast India and adds another chapter to Assam's remarkable geological and paleobotanical heritage. Researchers believe many more such discoveries may still lie hidden beneath the state's surface, waiting to reveal stories from millions of years ago.