Older than Himalayas: 85mn-year-old Kewra plant reached India 24mn years ago, fossil discovery in Assam shows

Guwahati ( The Indian View team) : Fossilised leaves surfaced from the Makum Coalfield of Assam have disclosed that the kewra (kevda) plant—best known for its fragrant essence used in sweets, perfumes, traditional medicine and temple rituals- has survived for at least 24 million years on the Indian subcontinent.

The discovery has indicated that this plant is far older than human civilisation and predates the rise of the Himalayas.

The discovery was published in the international journal Geobios by researchers identified as Harshita Bhatia and Gaurav Srivastava of the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP), Lucknow, an autonomous institute that falls under the Department of Science and Technology (DST).