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Introduction

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The Dawn Angiosperms

Part of the book series: Springer Geology ((SPRINGERGEOL))

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Abstract

The origin of angiosperm has been a contentious topic in botany, especially in palaeobotany. Before the 1960s there were for a long time and remains today a number of reports of angiosperms from strata older than the Cretaceous. However, mainstream palaeobotanists discount them now. Instead, palaeobotanists since 1970s have increasingly favored a rapid origin of angiosperms in the Early Cretaceous, although these conclusions have been frequently challenged by enigmatic fossil plant discoveries. The present conflicting situation, in my view, reflects a result of multiple criteria used for angiosperm definition and recognition in palaeobotany. I propose a new open criterion for fossil angiosperms as a solution for the problem. This chapter briefly summarizes the historic background of the current study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China

    Xin Wang

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  1. Xin Wang
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Wang, X. (2018). Introduction. In: The Dawn Angiosperms. Springer Geology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-58325-9_1

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