Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Insight Into Evolution Of First Flowers

This flower from an avocado tree (Persea americana) shows the characteristics of ancient flowering-plant lineages. Its petals (colorful in most flowers) and sepals (usually a green outer layer) are combined into one organ. A new study led by University of Florida researchers provides insight into how the first flowering plants emerged from non-flowering plants and began evolving about 130 million years ago. (Credit: Image courtesy of University of Florida)

From Science Daily:

ScienceDaily (May 19, 2009) — Charles Darwin described the sudden origin of flowering plants about 130 million years ago as an abominable mystery, one that scientists have yet to solve.

But a new University of Florida study, set to appear in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is helping shed light on the mystery with information about what the first flowers looked like and how they evolved from nonflowering plants.

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