Charles Darwin’s “abominable mystery” may be solved by a 130-million-year old fossilized flowerbud discovered in China. It is believed that this bud could help to solve the question of when and how first flowering plants developed.
A fossil that includes a leafy branche, physically connected fruit, and flower buds suggests that angiosperms may have been present during the Jurassic Period (201.3 to 145 millions years ago).
Angiosperms plants have flowers that produce seed.
This oldest specimen on record was discovered in a deposit dating back to more than 163 million years.
Charles Darwin’s “abominable mystery” may be solved by a 130-million-year old fossilized flowerbud discovered in China. It is believed that this bud could help to solve the question of when and how first flowering plants developed.
It was 1879 that the famous naturalist first revealed his abhorrent mystery.
His closest friend and botanist Dr Joseph Hooker wrote him a note: “The rapid evolution as far we can determine of all higher plants during recent geological times was an abominable mystery.”
On a geological timeline, flowering plants first appeared on Earth very recently. Then, they quickly evolved in explosions of color, form, and shape.
Numerous fossils could have provided the answers, however further investigation revealed that they were not angiosperms.
Charles Darwin, pictured, wrote in a letter to his close friend and botanist Dr Joseph Hooker: “The rapid evolution as far we can determine of all higher plants during recent geological periods is an abominable mystery
Here is a map of Inner Mongolia, China showing where the fossil was discovered.
Florigerminis jurassica (a fossilized flowerbud) fits the bill.
It was described as having woody branches and nodes. This is an area where the buds can be found on the stem.
The center is also covered with multiple smooth-margined tepals.
“Although Nanjinganthus’ over 100 flowering Nanjinganthus flowers exemplify angiosperms’ existence in the Jurassic,” reads the article published in Geological Society of 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.’
This fossil contains a leafy branch and a flower bud that are physically connected, suggesting angiosperms existed in Jurassic (201.3 to 145 millions years ago).
These plant tissues have been preserved in yellowish volcanic ash rock that has been ejected from an eruption. The leaves of the volcano are gone, but only their scars remain in the rock.
“According to Darwinism, outgroup comparison, well differentiated perianth was thought to have been derived but not expected for pioneer angiosperms. However, this view is being challenged by the discovery of well-differentiated Perianth in Jurassic Euanthus. [discovered in 2016] and Nanjinganthus [discovered in 2018]According to the study, it was “,”
While Nanjinganthus and Jurrassic Euanthus share many of the same characteristics as modern flowering plants today, some experts believe they aren’t true angiosperms.
The study states that “the unexpected appearance of flowers like Nanjinganthus or Euanthus in the Jurassic suggests that related theories about angiosperm evolutionary theory lacks the predictability necessary for a scientific theory.”