Fossil of Othniophyton elongatum. (Photo courtesy of Florida Museum, photograph by Jeff Gage)
Researchers have found that an “alien plant” discovered 55 years ago near an abandoned town in Utah does not appear to belong to any existing family or genera.
Paleontologists first found fossilized leaves of this plant in 1969 and named it Othniophyton elongatum, which translates as “alien plant.” At the time, they thought the extinct species might be related to ginseng.
However, later analysis cast doubt on this idea. Stephen Manchester, curator of paleobotany at the Florida Museum of Natural History and a Utah fossil specialist, discovered the unidentified plant during a visit to the University of California, Berkeley paleobotany. The fossil was well preserved and found in the same area as the “alien plant” leaves.
In a study published November 9 in the journal Annals of Botany, the Manchester team analyzed the fossils and concluded that they belonged to the same plant species.
Both fossil specimens were recovered from the Green River Formation in eastern Utah, near the old town of Rainbow. About 47 million years ago, when these plants were alive, the region was a vast lake ecosystem near active volcanoes. Lake sediment and volcanic ash slowed the decomposition of the remains of fish, reptiles, birds, and plants, allowing some to survive in excellent condition.
The scientists analyzed the physical characteristics of both fossils and looked for modern plant families that might be similar. Unlike the 1969 specimen, the UC Berkeley fossil had attached leaves, flowers, and fruits that looked completely different from those of plants related to ginseng. In fact, the researchers couldn’t match the fossils to any of the more than 400 living families of flowering plants, or extinct families.
Reconstruction of Othniophyton elongatum.
When scientists studied the original fossils in 1969, they were working only with leaves, not flowers, fruits, or branches; based on the arrangement of the leaf vein patterns, they suspected that the leaf structure might resemble that of plants in the ginseng family. With the details provided by the new fossil, the researchers were able to get a clearer picture of the plant's appearance and ruled out a connection to ginseng, but were still unable to pinpoint its family.
In subsequent years, the Natural History Museum
Sourse: www.livescience.com
