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Article: First flower found? (Spectrum).
- Article from:
- Environment
- Article date:
- July 1, 2002
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Heldref Publications. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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A team of paleontologists believes that the oldest ancestor of all flowers may be a water plant that existed in a Chinese lake at least 125 million years ago. According to researcher David Dilcher of the Florida Museum of Natural History and the University of Florida, Archaefructus sinensis, or "ancient fruit from China," is clearly characteristic of the most primitive flowering plants, or angiosperms. Although Archaefructus has no real petals, it is clearly a flower because the seeds are enclosed inside the fruit. It is believed that plants later developed petals, pleasing fragrances, and attractive flavors to aid in reproduction: showy, fragrant flowers attract insects ...