A new study shows the largest flower trapped in amber

A study published this Thursday by the journal nature Post pictures The largest flower preserved in amber found to date. It’s a copy of Its diameter is 28 mmAs it is nearly three times the size of previously identified samples.

We present here an exceptionally large listing of Baltic amber from the late Eocenewith a diameter of 28 mm, three times that of most flowers,” the authors summarized in the paper.

Amber is a material that allows for the delicate preservation of fossil parts of birds, even millions of years old. However, finding flower inclusions is not uncommon; Much less than this size.

This fossilized flower was first identified in 1872 How do Symplocos kowalewskii But recently Eva Maria Sadoski – From the Museum of Natural History Berlin– and mate Krista Charlotte Hoffman – From the Institute of Paleontology at the University of Vienna– They resumed their analysis with the support of modern technologies.

This allowed the spread Clearer pictures Where the flower can be seen in its entirety with its five petals. The study also included more detailed figures on its leads.

The sample is from the dates Late Eoceneso it will have a lifetime between 38 and 33.9 million years ago.

Described more than 150 years ago, this floral fossil covered in amber from the Baltic forests of northern Europe comes from an ancient flowering evergreen plant originally called Stewartia kowalewskii. However, the fossil has not been comprehensively evaluated.

just who 1–3% of all inclusions in late Eocene Baltic amber are of botanical originStudy adds.

This is the First record of Symplocaceae from Baltic amber Its plant affinities are supported by the broad-leaved evergreen and mixed forests of medium vegetation in present-day East and Southeast Asia.

In this new investigation, scientists extracted vaccine Inclusion of the anthers from the flowers and examination of them indicates that the flower is closely related to the Asian species simplocus.

For this reason a new composition and classification has been proposed for the flower, which has now been changed to ‘Symplocos kowaleskii’.

Although they note that “the composition of the flower and pollen grains for the inclusion of amber is sufficiently indicative to justify its assignment to the subgenus Symplocos with the new synth Symplocos kowalewskii,” the scientists wrote in the paper, though they note that “future studies are needed to clearly document a pollen.” comprehensive Symplocaceae to elucidate the various affinities of S. kowalewskii with extinct and recent lineages of the family”.

the Rare size of this specimen—most of which are less than 10 mm in diameter—is due to A Large effusion of resin That would cover Venus, according to the investigation. Thanks to this, it was concluded that living organisms did not grow in the flower or cause harm to it.

(with information from EFE)

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