There are few angiosperm fossils. Here is the most recent fossil discovery. Your class notes describe some of the reasons why few angiosperm fossils are found.

Above: Archaefructus liaoningensis. The leaf-like structures on the stem of this 140 million year old fossil are pods containing the seeds, a characteristic unique to flowering plants. Credit: David L. Dilcher, Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida, Gainesville.

To see the Science paper (1998, vol. 282: 1692-1695) that describes this fossil, click here.

Update: More Archaefructus fossils found in China, including a fossil of the entire plant!!! See Science, 3 May 2002, vol. 296: 821, 899 by clicking here.

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