Titel
The largest amber-preserved flower revisited
Autor*in
Eva-Maria Sadowski
Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science
Christa-Charlotte Hofmann
Abstract
Amber exquisitely preserves the delicate organs of fossil flowers for millions of years. However, flower inclusions can be rare and usually do not exceed 10 mm in size. Here we report an exceptionally large flower from late Eocene Baltic amber, measuring 28 mm across, which is about three times as large as most floral inclusions. This fossil was described over 150 years ago as Stewartia kowalewskii (Theaceae) and has never been revised. The analysis of pollen extracted from the anthers of the flower inclusion, however, revealed strong affinities to Asian species of Symplocos (Symplocaceae), prompting the new combination Symplocos kowalewskii comb. nov. et emend. This fossil represents the first record of Symplocaceae from Baltic amber and supports affinities of its flora to evergreen broadleaved and mixed mesophytic forests of present-day East and Southeast Asia. The rarity of such large-sized flower inclusions is likely due to the size of the resin outpouring and its properties, which might affect the embedding of plant organs.
Stichwort
PalaeontologyPlant evolutionTaxonomy
Objekt-Typ
Sprache
Englisch [eng]
Persistent identifier
phaidra.univie.ac.at/o:2071752
Erschienen in
Titel
Scientific Reports
Band
13
ISSN
2045-2322
Erscheinungsdatum
2023
Publication
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Erscheinungsdatum
2023
Zugänglichkeit
Rechte
Rechteangabe
© The Author(s) 2022
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