Fossil flower of Symplocos kowalewskii. Credit: Carola Radke, Museum für Naturkunde Berlin
New images of the biggest fossilized flower to be discovered in amber have actually just recently been published in the journal Scientific Reports. The flower, measuring 28 millimeters across, is almost 3 times larger than other preserved flowers.
The fossilized flower, framed in amber from the Baltic forests of Northern Europe and dating back nearly 40 million years, is believed to be from an ancient flowering evergreen plant referred to as Stewartia kowalewskii.
Eva-Maria Sadowski and Christa-Charlotte Hofmann reanalyzed the incredibly large fossilized flower, which was originally explained and called in 1872. The flower is dated to the Late Eocene, from between 38 million to 33.9 million years ago.
The authors extracted pollen from the sample and their analysis suggests that the flower is carefully associated to the Asian species of Symplocos. The authors propose a new name for the flower of Symplocos kowalewskii.
The authors propose that the unusual size of S. kowalewskii is likely from a large resin profusion that would have framed the flower. The residential or commercial properties of the resin would have helped to prevent organisms from growing on the flower and causing damage, they include.
Reference: “The biggest amber-preserved flower revisited” by Eva-Maria Sadowski and Christa-Charlotte Hofmann, 12 January 2023, Scientific Reports.DOI: 10.1038/ s41598-022-24549-z.
By Scientific Reports
February 24, 2023