130-million-year-old flower bud found in China could solve Charles Darwin's 'abominable mystery'
130-million-year-old flower bud found in China could solve Charles Darwin's 'abominable mystery' The ancient plant, named Florigerminis jurassica, is described has having woody branches with nodes, an area on the stem where buds are located, physically connected fruit and a flower bud that ends on the branch. English naturalist Charles Darwin and the world's oldest fossilised flower found in China. English naturalist Charles Darwin--best known for his work on the evolution of science--had one 'abominable mystery' when it came to deciphering the evolution of flowering plants. A recent discovery of a 130-million-year-old fossilized flower bud found in China may, however, solve this mystery. The fossil includes a leafy branch, physically connected fruit and flower bud, which suggests angiosperms (plants that has flowers and produces seed) were present in the Jurassic period (201.3 million to 145 million years ago). This specimen, which i...