99-Million-Year-Old Fossil Flower Found Encased in Burmese Amber

sci-news ^ | 12/23/2020

[BenLurkin]

The new fossil flower, named Valviloculus pleristaminis, belongs to the order Laurales, its closest affinities being with the families Monimiaceae and Atherospermataceae.

The specimen of Valviloculus pleristaminis has an egg-shaped, hollow floral cup (part of the flower from which the stamens emanate); an outer layer consisting of six petal-like components known as tepals; and two-chamber anthers, with pollen sacs that split open via laterally hinged valves.

It became encased in amber on the supercontinent of Gondwana and rafted on a continental plate some 6,450 km (4,000 miles) across the ocean from Australia to Southeast Asia.

Geologists have been debating just when this chunk of land — known as the West Burma Block — broke away from Gondwana.

Some scientists believe it was 200 million years ago; others claim it was more like 500 million years ago.

“Since angiosperms only evolved and diversified about 100 million years ago, the West Burma Block could not have broken off from Gondwana before then, which is much later than dates that have been suggested by geologists,” Professor Poinar said.

The discovery is described in a paper in the Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas.

[BenLurkin]

Valviloculus pleristaminis, flower in lateral view.
Image credit: Poinar, Jr. et al., doi: 10.17348/jbrit.v14.i2.1014.

[mass55th]

Looks like a thistle.

[BenLurkin]

ping

[stuck_in_new_orleans]

So was there amber slime all over the place back then?

[Larry Lucido]

And amber lamps?

[SaveFerris]

[encased in Amber]

[SaveFerris]

[encased in Amber]

[Larry Lucido]

It could have been ensconced in velvet.

Did this happen before West Burma became West Myanmar?

[mylife]

Looks like a poppy, Yam Yam...

[BenLurkin]

The one from Burma, yes.

[madison10]

Exactly what I was going to say...a thistle.

[Smellin Salt]

Perhaps it’s Myanmar amber....

[dfwgator]

“Life, uhhh, finds a way.”

[Larry Lucido]

I'd like to confer the Order of the Laurales, and a hardy handshake, to our new sheriff.

[equaviator]

Somewhere out there, a “woke” person is thinking that they would like to smoke or sniff some of that stuff.

[madison10]

Thistle

[stormer]

Technically I think it was encased in pitch, only later did that pitch become amber.

[Rurudyne]

That was my thought too.

Actually “just like”.

[RJS1950]

Pitch is a product of petroleum or coal tar and is a distillate of those substances. Amber is a fossilized tree resin. Not the same.

[mmichaels1970]