ABSTRACT
Caryopses referred to Oryza sativa were recovered from all the five phases at Semthan and from Megalithic and Post-Megalithic phases at Burzahom. Oryza sativa has been usually classified into three subspecies, namely, indica Kato; japonica Kato, and javanica Kato. The distinction between the subspecies is based on morphological characters and adaptations to temperature and photoperiod conditions prevailing in different rice regions of the world. The oriental plane (Platanus orientalis L.) is a large, graceful, deciduous tree cultivated in Kashmir and the northwest Himalayas. The present evidence from Burzahom and Semthan has revealed that this tree has been in existence centuries before the advent of the Moghuls. Evidently such grand trees must have been hundreds of years old. Now the archaeological evidence from Burzahom and Semthan has virtually proved that the plane tree has been growing in Kashmir since much earlier times.
