World's oldest flower fossil discovered.

Scientists have discovered an aquatic plant from the Cretaceous period, believed to be the world's first flowering plant.

Montsechia vidalii may tell us more about the development of the first flowering plants. Photo: Gomez et al/PNAS.

New analysis of fossil samples obtained in central Spain and the Pyrenees reveals a plant species dating back approximately 130 million years, the same period as feathered dinosaurs. Named Montsechia vidalii, it resembled modern-day dogweed and grew in shallow lakes.

To study the ancient plant species, David Dilcher and colleagues at Indiana University, USA, slowly decomposed the limestone surrounding more than 100 fossil specimens. They found small fragments and used powerful microscopes to examine their structure after bleaching.

This plant appears to have neither roots nor petals. Its leaves are arranged in a spiral or symmetrical pattern. A few tiny flowers, each containing a single seed, grow on the stem.

According to Dilcher, animals during this period did not play a role in seed dispersal. Instead, plants had male and female flowers. Seeds were released directly into the water, where they would float along until they pollinated another plant.

"This plant reveals to us where it originated. If we know more about its evolution, we will discover pollination methods that played a crucial role in the past and can be applied again today," Dilcher shared on Live Science on August 17.

According to VnExpress