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Flowers from the Early Cretaceous

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The Dawn Angiosperms

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Earth Sciences ((LNEARTH,volume 121))

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Abstract

Fossil angiosperms from the Early Cretaceous are of special interest because currently the earliest widely-accepted angiosperms are from this age. Chaoyangia, Archaefructus, Sinocarpus, and Callianthus are four representative angiosperms from the Yixian Formation (125 Ma, Early Cretaceous). Their early age, distinct morphology, and reproductive features not only display an aspect of early angiosperms, but also, if monophyly of angiosperms is assumed, strongly suggest that the origin of angiosperms must have occurred even earlier.

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  1. Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 39 Beijing Dong Road, Nanjing, 210008, People’s Republic of China

    Dr. Xin Wang

  2. Fairylake Botanical Garden, 160 Xianhu Road, Shenzhen, 518004, People’s Republic of China

    Dr. Xin Wang

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Wang, X. (2010). Flowers from the Early Cretaceous. In: The Dawn Angiosperms. Lecture Notes in Earth Sciences, vol 121. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-01161-0_5

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