A spectacular flower that bloomed when dinosaurs ruled the Earth has been unveiled – frozen in time. The new plant preserved in amber is captured in exquisite detail, looking "like a sunburst." It has been hailed a holiday beauty for 2020.
Named Valviloculus pleristaminis, it became entombed in the sticky sap of a tropical tree that hardened into a transparent shell. Known as Burmese amber, it opened a window into prehistoric lost worlds. The biggest land animals that ever lived still had 35 million years to go as planetary overlords when Valviloculus grew. According to The Metro, they are known to have eaten flowers.
Lead author Professor George Poinar of Oregon State University said: "This isn't quite a Christmas flower but it is a beauty, especially considering it was part of a forest that existed 100 million years ago."
Amber excels at preserving the finer points of plants and animals. On contact, resin seeps into tissues, protecting against fungus and rot while also drying them out. Asia is rich in dinosaur fossils – with specimens including Velociraptor and neck-frilled Dilophosaurus of Jurassic Park fame.
Prolf Poinar is an international expert in using plant and animal life forms preserved in amber to learn more about the biology and ecology of the distant past.
"The male flower is tiny, about two millimeters across, but it has some 50 stamens arranged like a spiral, with anthers pointing toward the sky. Despite being so small, the detail still remaining is amazing. Our specimen was probably part of a cluster on the plant that contained many similar flowers, some possibly female," he explained.
