An IU paleobotanist and his colleagues have identified a freshwater plant as one of the earliest flowering plants on Earth at between 125 and 130 million years old, according to an IU press release.
David Dilcher, an emeritus professor of paleobotany in the department of geological sciences, was one of five people to author a scientific paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The report’s findings represent a major change in the presumed form of one of the planet’s earliest flowers, the Montsechia vidalii, according to the release.
“This discovery raises significant questions about the early evolutionary history of flowering plants, as well as the role of these plants in the evolution of other plant and animal life,” Dilcher said in the release.
The report is based upon careful analyses of more than 1,000 fossilized remains of Montsechia. Dilcher and his colleagues plan to delve deeper into research about ancient plant life.
“There’s still much to be discovered about how a few early species of seed-bearing plants eventually gave rise to the enormous and beautiful variety of flowers that now populate nearly every environment on Earth,” Dilcher said.
Cassie Heeke
