A 130-million-year-old fossilized flower bud found in China may solve Charles Darwin's 'abominable mystery' that questioned when and how the first flowering plants evolved.
The fossil includes a leafy branch, physically connected fruit and flower bud, which suggests angiosperms were present in the Jurassic period (201.3 million to 145 million years ago).
A 130-million-year-old fossilized flower bud found in China may solve Charles Darwin's 'abominable mystery' that questioned when and how the first flowering plants evolved.
The ancient plant is described has having woody branches with nodes, an area on the stem where buds are located, physically connected fruit and a flower bud that ends on the branch.
'Although over 100 blooming flowers of Nanjinganthus exemplify the truthful existence of angiosperms in the Jurassic, our current knowledge of early angiosperms is still sparse,' reads the study published in Geological Society, London, Special Publications.
'Here we report Florigerminis jurassica, a fossil plant including physically connected flower bud, fruit and leafy branch, from the Jiulongshan Formation (the Middle–Late Jurassic: >164 Ma) of Inner Mongolia, China.'.
The fossil includes a leafy branch, physically connected fruit and flower bud, which suggests angiosperms were present in the Jurassic period (201.3 million to 145 million years ago).
Both Jurrassic Euanthus and Nanjinganthus have similar characteristics to that of modern flowering plants, but many experts argue they are not true angiosperms
Angiosperm is the scientific term for flowering plants
UK
Australia
France
Germany
Russia
India
Canada