A 37,000-year-old thorny Chimonobambusa manipurensis bamboo fossil discovered in Manipur’s Chirang River deposits provides Asia’s earliest evidence of bamboo defence mechanisms during the Ice Age.

About the Bamboo Fossil

• Discovered by: Researchers from the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP) found a remarkably preserved bamboo stem in the Imphal Valley’s silt-rich layers.
• Key Features: Microscopic examination revealed intact nodes, buds, and distinct thorn scars, an extremely rare preservation because bamboo’s hollow, fibrous structure usually decays quickly.
• Scientific Significance: The fossil confirms that thorniness which is an anti-herbivore defence—existed in bamboo during the Ice Age, offering the earliest such evidence from Asia.
• Palaeoclimatic Importance: The finding shows that while glacial-era cold and dryness caused bamboo extinction in regions like Europe, Northeast India acted as a climatic refugium supporting bamboo survival.
• • The most recent Glacial Era, or ice age, occurred during the Pleistocene Epoch, lasting from approximately 2.6 million to 11,700 years ago.

About Chimonobambusa Manipurensis

• Chimonobambusa is a group of thorny, woody bamboos known for their defensive morphology.
• Cultivation and Growth Conditions: Humid, shaded, moderately cool environments, often along riverbanks and montane forests.
• Applications: Valued for handicrafts, fencing, tools, and traditional construction, owing to their strong culms and thorn-bearing nodes.
• Geographic Distribution: Northeast India, Myanmar, Southwest China, and Southeast Asia, reflecting its adaptation to Indo-Burma ecological settings.

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Significance

• The Manipur fossil strengthens evidence that the Indo-Burma hotspot served as a long-term biodiversity reservoir, preserving bamboo lineages through climatic extremes.

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