In 1969, scientists discovered fossilized remains of a plant in Utah, USA. Since then, researchers have tried to identify the plant’s family but have not been successful.
Even after examining both modern and extinct plant families, no match has been found, reports WPTech. This mysterious plant has remained a puzzle for scientists.
The fossils, which were found in the Green River Formation near Rainbow, Utah, date back 47 million years.
The plant was first identified as Othniophyton elongatum, meaning "foreign plant."
In the 1960s, the species was thought to belong to the Araliaceae family, which includes plants like ginseng and ivy, based on the shape of its leaves.
However, a more recent discovery changed everything. Steven Manchester from the Florida Museum of Natural History came across another fossil of the same plant.
This fossil, found at the University of California at Berkeley, was unusually well-preserved and included flowers and fruits.
The new fossil led to a deeper investigation into the plant’s characteristics. Upon closer inspection, scientists realized the plant didn’t fit with the Araliaceae family.
The flowers, fruits, and leaves did not resemble any known members of this group.
The researchers spent time carefully studying the fossils and searched through databases for any potential matches.
Despite their efforts, they couldn’t identify the plant with any living or extinct species. This plant was unlike anything they had seen before.
The fossilized plant was well-preserved due to the unique conditions of the area, which had an inland lake system millions of years ago.
These conditions allowed fish, reptiles, birds, and plants to be fossilized in remarkable detail.
The scientists also used modern equipment and artificial intelligence to examine the fossils in even greater detail.
They found tiny fossilized fruits with seeds, an unusual discovery in plant fossils.
What’s most intriguing is that the fossils revealed stamens, the male parts of flowers. These stamens remained attached even after the fruit was fully developed.
This is something no living plant species seems to do, making this discovery even more mysterious.
