Analysis of 24-million-year-old fossils has revealed that the Kevda plant, the source of essence and flavour for sweets and an ingredient in traditional medicine, not only predates the formation of the Himalayas but also disappeared from other parts of the world while surviving in the Indian region.Scientists from the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences collected four well-preserved fossil leaves recovered from the Makum Coalfield in Assam, dating back about 24 million years. They compared the fossils with modern Kewda species preserved in herbaria and botanical databases, as well as with previously reported fossil records from different parts of the world.Detailed studies showed that the fossils closely resembled modern Kevda leaves. They preserved distinctive features still seen in modern Kewda plants, including long, sword-shaped leaves, parallel veins and characteristic marginal prickles, according to information shared by the Ministry of Science and Technology.Comparisons with modern species and fossil records from around the world confirmed their affinity with the Kewda family, scientifically known as Pandanaceae. This showed that this ancient plant lineage was already established in India millions of years before humans appeared on Earth.The fossils of this culturally important plant show that India served as an important refuge where this ancient lineage survived, even as it disappeared from many other parts of the world, according to the study.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, the study reported.“These findings underpin the role of the Indian subcontinent as an important region of persistence for pandanaceous lineages during the Paleogene (a geologic period that lasted from about 66 to 23 million years ago) and provide new insights into the biogeographic history of the family in tropical Asia,” the researchers said.According to the Ministry, 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, and future ecosystem responses.