The Ancient History Of Flowers

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Millions of years ago no flowers existed. The entire world was green. Then, about 300 million years ago something amazing happened. Plants began changing the way they reproduced. As a result the distant ancestors of modern flowers were born. These plants did not yet have pollen, nectar, fragrance, brilliant colors, or even large blooms.

The plants that existed before the birth of flowers are called gymnosperms. They reproduce using spores, not seeds. The new plants, called angiosperms, produced seeds. This was an amazing development. The theory is that early flowering plants were mostly aquatic. Some scientists believe that water lilies were some of the earliest flowering plants.

These ancient flowering plants were slow to develop. But about 125 million years ago, something remarkable happened. Both the plants, and the insects that pollinated them, began to diversify very rapidly. In fact the pollinating insects of the period taught us much of what we know about these ancient flowers. Scientists are not yet sure what cause the period of rapid development.

Angiosperms quickly became the most diverse, and most dominant, species of plants on earth. As plants and insects evolved together, plants developed brighter colors, attractive patterns, and fragrance to lure insects and other pollinators. Changes in the physical shape and structure of plants let to changes in the insects and how plants were pollinated.

Evidence of these changes is quite rare. As a result there are more theories than evidence. The primary evidence that exists is found in fossils and amber. Amber is fossilized golden resin exuded by trees. Plant material or insects captured in this resin are preserved in amazing detail. In some cases bees preserved in this way are coated with pollen, which can be identified as coming from a specific plant species.

Since ancient flowers first burst upon the scene hundreds of millions of years ago, they have changed dramatically. In some ways flowers have changed the world we know. Scientists still have much to learn about the development of flowers, but the evidence we have paints a captivating picture of a strangely beautiful world where dinosaurs ruled and humans didn't yet exist.

About the Author:
This article was brought to you by A-Bow-K Florist and Gifts. North Tampa is the heart of our delivery area. We serve Lutz, Land 'o Lakes, Temple Terrace and New Tampa as well. Send flowers to the ones you love.



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