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In Search of the First Flower: A Jurassic Angiosperm, Archaefructus , from Northeast China

1998; American Association for the Advancement of Science; Volume: 282; Issue: 5394 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1126/science.282.5394.1692

1095-9203

Ge Sun, David L. Dilcher, Shaoling Zheng, Zhe‐Kun Zhou,

Plant and Fungal Species Descriptions

Angiosperm fruiting axes were discovered from the Upper Jurassic of China. Angiosperms are defined by carpels enclosing ovules, a character demonstrated in this fossil. This feature is lacking in other fossils reported to be earliest angiosperms. The fruits are small follicles formed from conduplicate carpels helically arranged. Adaxial elongate stigmatic crests are conspicuous on each carpel. The basal one-third of the axes bore deciduous organs of uncertain affinities. No scars of subtending floral organs are present to define the individual fertile parts as floral units, but the leaf-like structures subtending each axis define them as flowers. These fruiting axes have primitive characters and characters not considered primitive.