JODHPUR, March 10 -- A 55-million-year-old fossil resembling the giant duckweed Spirodela Schleid. has been found at the Gurha lignite mine in Rajasthan's Bikaner district, marking India's first authentic record of such a plant and offering a window into a long-lost freshwater ecosystem amid today's desert landscape. Researchers describe it as a well-preserved, impressed and compressed fossil rosette bearing four leaves akin to the extant free-floating great duckweed from the early Eocene (Palana Formation) sedimentary sequences of Gurha lignite mine, Rajasthan. Dr Mahasin Ali Khan, assistant professor in the botany department at Sidho-Kanho-Birsha University and a member of the research team, said Spirodela Schleid. ranks among the most abundant and widespread giant duckweeds, though its fossil record remains relatively unexplored. "We present a well-preserved, impressed and compressed fossil rosette bearing four leaves similar to the extant free-floating great duckweed from the early Eocene (Palana Formation) sedimentary sequences of Gurha Lignite Mine, Rajasthan."According to Dr Khan, "The fossil specimen is characterised by four peltate sessile leaves (one mother, two daughters, and one granddaughter) arranged spirally in a rosette, leaves with campylodromous venation, and the presence of stolons and adventitious roots." After detailed analysis and comparison with modern and fossil species, the team has named it a new genus and species: Eospirodela indica nov. gen., nov. sp. Ali, Almeida et Khan. Dr Khan said the discovery extends beyond the plant fossil itself, illuminating Rajasthan's ancient environment. "The area that is now a desert was once home to a freshwater ecosystem during the early Eocene. This fossil is strong evidence of that," he added. He noted that duckweed fossils have surfaced in many countries worldwide, but this represents India's first authentic report. The finding provides convincing evidence of an Asian Spirodela-like fossil based on attached vegetative organs. The Palana Formation, dated to 55 million years ago, preserves lagoonal and fluvial deposits from a warm, humid Eocene climate, underscoring the shift to arid conditions today. It also deepens understanding of early Eocene flora in Rajasthan, spotlighting aquatic vascular plants in what is now desert....