Jamun, has been discovered to have originated a lot sooner than beforehand believed, with India taking part in a central function in its evolutionary historical past in response to a brand new examine.
The examine which factors at East Gondwanan origin of the genus Syzygium, courting again to ~80 million years in the past with India performing as a significant centre of early diversification, reshapes our understanding of plant evolution.
The origin of Syzygium (generally recognized as Jamun) was earlier believed to be restricted to Australia or Southeast Asia. However, researchers noticed inconsistencies between fossil proof and molecular phylogenetic timelines of round 51 million years in the past origin estimates. Additionally, earlier fossil studies from India starting from round 60 to twenty million years in the past had not been comprehensively reassessed.
The discovery of new Miocene fossils (~20 million years in the past) supplied a chance to re-evaluate the origin and dispersal historical past of Syzygium in an built-in framework.
In a examine led by Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) together with Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Central Department of Geology, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Department of Geology, Birendra Multiple Campus, Tribhuvan University, Chitwan, Bharatpur, researchers collected fossil specimens from the Kasauli Formation round 20 million years in the past in Himachal Pradesh following preliminary exploration of Early Miocene sedimentary sequences performed to elucidate plant evolutionary historical past.
Fig 1: Map exhibiting the fossil locality from the place the fossil leaves had been collected
These had been analysed utilizing microscopy and detailed morphological characterization. The scientists carried out comparative evaluation utilizing herbarium collections and international databases. Statistical strategies had been utilized to validate taxonomic placement. Additionally, beforehand reported fossils from Paleogene and Neogene deposits (60–20 million years in the past) had been critically re-examined to reconstruct a steady evolutionary timeline.
Detailed evaluation of fossil leaf morphology, together with form, dimension, and venation patterns, comparability with fashionable plant species utilizing quantitative statistical strategies and evaluation based mostly on 22 morphological characters helped correct identification and evolutionary interpretation of the fossils.
A complete of 11 well-preserved fossil leaves of Syzygium from the Early Miocene (20 million years in the past) deposits of India named as Syzygium paleosalicifolium Sadanand, Bhatia et Srivastava was discovered. A reinvestigation of earlier fossil information from India signifies that the genus was already current within the Indian area because the early Eocene (55 million years in the past), demonstrating a a lot earlier and steady presence in India. From right here, the genus is believed to have dispersed to Southeast Asia and Australia, rewriting the biogeographic historical past of this ecologically and economically vital plant group.
The examine revealed in Journal of Palaeogeography, gives vital insights into India’s function in plant evolution and biodiversity of Asian floras. Understanding previous vegetation and local weather modifications over tens of millions of years helps enhance predictions of future local weather eventualities. It additionally contributes to biodiversity conservation, ecological planning, and strengthens India’s contribution to international analysis on evolution and biogeography.
Publication hyperlink: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jop.2026.100343
For extra particulars contact Dr. Gaurav Srivastava (Email: gaurav_srivastava[at]bsip[dot]res[dot]in)