XVI International Botanical Congess

Upper Jurassic age sediments have yielded an angiosperm axis bearing helically arranged fruits that contain seeds. These mature fruits are small follicles derived from conduplicate carpels that bore elongated stigmatic crests. New data suggests the presence of pollen organs subtending the carpels that appear to be deciduous as the fruits mature. These organs are currently under investigation and will be presented along with details of the pollen from them. These fruiting axes appear to have been subtended only by leaves when in flower stage so Archaefructus represents an early evolution of flowering plants before the presence of petals and sepals.