A 170-million-year-old flower was found in China
(ORDO NEWS) — A 170 million-year-old flower was discovered. This was announced by employees of the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology. Fossils of the plant were found in northwestern China.
The fragment of the find is small, but it has been perfectly preserved after millions of years. With the help of new technologies, it was studied in detail and another interesting discovery was made.
The study of the fossils of one of the oldest representatives of the flora showed the following: this flower has oval buds measuring 17 mm in length and 9 in width.
The stem fragment was small, only 15 mm. It has a leafy structure. She was all covered with flower petals. The plant patterns are clearly visible on the stone, and it looks quite unusual.
Given the diminutive size of the fossils, it would be extremely difficult for a simple, ordinary person to consider something like this.
This is such a rare exhibit that the best minds of China studied it. Several leading institutes simultaneously participated in the research: Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou University, Ningxia Geological Museum.
This Jurassic plant grew on Earth approximately 170 million years ago. Previously, scientists assumed that it is a gymnosperm. But recent studies have shown that this species belongs to angiosperms.
They came to this conclusion after finding inverted ovules in the inner part of the buds.
And this is a key feature that helps to define and distinguish angiosperms from gymnosperms. This is the oldest flower (fossilized flower) known to the world of science today.
Paleontologists also used to think that flowering plants appeared on Earth much later (about 201 million years ago). These time slots will now be reviewed.
Today, there are 300,000 species of angiosperms in the world. It is possible that many of them are the ancestors of these oldest flowers.
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