Paleontologists in Utah discovered a fossil of an “alien plant” that could not be linked to any modern or extinct species.
Scientists first found the fossilized leaves in 1969, and named it Othniophyton elongatum, which translates to “alien plant.” When they uncovered the unique flora, they believed it was related to ginseng. However, as they looked closer into the hypothesis and deepened their investigation in recent times, they could not match it to the beloved tea plant, or any plant for that matter.
Un misterioso fossile vegetale appartiene a una famiglia che non esiste più
Nel 1969 sono state identificate nello Utah orientale le foglie fossili della specie Othniophyton elongatum, che significa “pianta aliena”.https://t.co/pt0iH48ffQ pic.twitter.com/r4DK86OEXI— umberto gaetani (@misteru) December 19, 2024
Alien plant stumps scientists
Steven Manchester, the curator of paleobotany at the Florida Museum of Natural History, disproved the initial hypothesis in 1969. He found a plant fossil in the paleobotany collection at the University of California Berkeley that was unidentified and collected from the same area as the Utah alien plant.
In a study published in the Annals of Botany, Manchester’s team concluded that both fossils were of the same species. Both were found in the Green River Formation in Utah and date back to around 47 million years ago. In the era when these plants lived, the area was a massive lake ecosystem that neighbored volcanoes. The volcanic sediment that formed after eruptions allowed for the pristine preservation of many fossils.
While the 1969 species were only leaf specimens, the Berkeley sample had the stem, leaves, flowers, and fruit, allowing scientists to gather more information about the plant. What the researchers found surprised them, as the fossil had characteristics never seen before in either extinct or modern plants.
All modern and most extinct fauna will have stamen, the male reproductive parts, that detach after fertilization. However, this plant keeps them attached, which is highly unusual. Using microscopy and AI, small seed impressions were also found in the fruit.
“Usually, stamens will fall away as the fruit develops, and this thing seems unusual in that it’s retaining the stamens at the time it has mature fruits with seeds ready to disperse. We haven’t seen that in anything modern,” said Manchester in a statement.
Not only that, but even with all the plant’s features intact they were still unable to link it to any flora that has ever existed. They tried to relate and match the flora to more than 400 species of plant both extinct and still existing, and they found nothing. This isn’t the only time a plant from the Green River Formation has stumped scientists, as the region has produced a few more fossilized species that are unrelated to anything modern or extinct.