Scientists have discovered a piece of amber in the plant age of about 20 million years – commander

American scientists from the University of Oregon in a piece of amber found previously unknown to science of ancient plants. Biologists believe that it is the ancestor of today’s flora. Investigating a piece of amber with a frozen it is well-preserved plant, scientists have learned from him the contents, which turned out flower buds, the plant belonging to an unknown species.

Scientists have estimated its age at 20 million years. These buds, presumably, are the ancestors of most of the modern vegetation, specifically – asteridov subclass, which cover a third of all plants on the planet, which is about 80 thousand species. For the most part, it is the grass, although asteridov class also includes some species of trees and shrubs.

This subclass also includes tomatoes, potatoes, sesame, eggplant, coffee trees. A feature found in amber buds is their toxicity due to the content of strychnine. Found the plant has been called Strychnos electri, in which the word «electri» in Greek means “amber».

The stone itself with frozen buds in it ancient plants was discovered in 1986 in the Dominican Republic. Examine the contents of it began only in the last year. It is interesting that the plant Strychnos electri – not the oldest one found on our planet. In 2015, for example, in the form of algae fossils that experts have estimated their age 130 million years.

Professor at Oregon State University, took photographs of fossils and gave them to a botanist Lena Struve were found. After a detailed study of images revealed that parts of the plants belong to the genus Strychnos, and likely to be new to science view

Strychnos electri -. The name decided to give a new kind of opening of the authors. The specific name of the ancient flora has received from the Greek name of amber (electron).

Fossil plant, as well as its modern relatives, it is poisonous and contain strychnine. Scientists claim that this is the first discovery of a large part of the plant among all subclass asterid – one of the largest groups of flowering plants belonging to the class of bipartite

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