Abstract
Flowers are seldom preserved in an identifiable condition. The limited knowledge of floral structure of ancient flowering plants makes comparisons with living plants difficult, as floral structure is the basis for classification of the angiosperms. When found, fossil flowers contribute considerably to our understanding of the evolution of flowering plants1–6. The flowers described here were recovered from Upper Eocene deposits near Anglesea, Australia. They are tetramerous, unisexual, male, with 16 stamens and tricolporate pollen. These flowers, and associated ebenaceous leaves, are the oldest known remains of the Ebenaceae from Australia.
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Christophel, D., Basinger, J. Earliest floral evidence for the Ebenaceae in Australia. Nature 296, 439–441 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1038/296439a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/296439a0
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