Scientists undertaking a field survey in Manipur’s Imphal West district have discovered fossil evidence that thorniness in bamboo was already present in Asia during the Ice Age, marking a rare and scientifically important find, according to an official release.
Researchers from the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP), an autonomous body under the Department of Science and Technology, recovered a bamboo stem bearing unusual impressions in silt-rich deposits along the Chirang River in the Imphal Valley. Laboratory examination identified the markings as thorn scars, prompting a detailed investigation into the fossil’s identity and ecological significance.
The team analysed its morphology, including nodes, buds and thorn scars, and assigned the specimen to the genus Chimonobambusa. Comparisons with extant thorny bamboos such as Bambusa bambos and Chimonobambusa callosa enabled researchers to reconstruct its defensive adaptations and understand its role within ancient landscapes.
“This is the first fossil evidence that thorniness in bamboo, a defence against herbivores, was already present in Asia during the Ice Age. Its preservation is particularly significant because it comes from a period of colder and drier global climates, when bamboo was wiped out in many other regions, including Europe. The fossil shows that while harsh Ice Age conditions restricted bamboo's global distribution, Northeast India provided a safe refuge where the plant could continue to thrive,” the release said.
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Published in the journal Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, the study is noteworthy for capturing delicate features such as thorn scars, structures that rarely fossilise. The discovery underscores the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot as a climatic refugium during the Ice Age. While colder conditions eliminated bamboo from regions such as Europe, the warm and humid environment of Northeast India allowed it to endure.
“This research by H Bhatia, P Kumari, NH Singh and G Srivastava adds a new dimension to our understanding of both bamboo evolution and regional climate history. It also emphasises the role of this part of Asia in safeguarding biodiversity during times of global stress, making the discovery not only a botanical milestone but also an important contribution to palaeoclimatic and biogeographic studies,” the release added.
Meanwhile, N Herojit Singh of the Geological Survey of India, a member of the team that first discovered the specimen, said, “The fossil was discovered back in 2021–22 at the silt-rich deposits of ‘quaternary deposits exposed’ west of Senjam-Chirang village in Imphal West district. Several samples were collected, some of which measured nearly one feet.”
Findings from subsequent studies have placed the “fossil bamboo culm” within “late Pleistocene sediments in eastern India”.
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