Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Thursday - June 14, 2007
From: Chester, PA
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Topic: General Botany
Title: Identification of first flower on Earth
Answered by: Joe Marcus
QUESTION:
When was the first on Earth and who find it and what was the name of the flower. Also what part of the Earth was if find?ANSWER:
We think you're asking the name of the earth's first flowering plant. If so, the answer is no one really knows. There are different camps in the scientific community disputing the lineage of flowering plants and the place of fossil finds in that lineage.
Many believe that an ancestor of a plant still living in New Caledonia, Amborella trichopoda, was the world's first flowering plant, arising perhaps 140-million years or so ago.
Another candidate is a relative of the fossil plant, Archaefructus sinensis, discovered in China by the scientist Sun Ge.
The search for identity of the world's first angiosperm is a challenge that many botanists find irresistable. To keep the challenge interesting, the fossil record and new genetic discoveries have a way of continually changing our "current" way of thinking So the book on the mystery of the first flower almost certainly has chapters yet to be written.
More General Botany Questions
Is there a flower that blooms only once in seven years?
December 17, 2008 - Just wanted to know if there exists a flower that blooms only once in seven years? Thank you!
view the full question and answer
Definition of what constitutes a native plant
January 23, 2007 - Hello, I am doing research concerning "native plants" for the Northeast. I am "befuddled" as I am finding conflicting definitions for what constitutes a native plant. Do you have a good definiti...
view the full question and answer
How is native range changed in the scientific record?
March 28, 2011 - I am accessioning Pachysandra procumbens for the Baker Arboretum. These plants were made from cuttings of a native stand here in Warren County (Western KY). How does the record get amended to...
view the full question and answer
Student research on fire-resistance plant labels from Garden Ridge TX
November 13, 2013 - Dear Mr. Smarty Pants,
I'm a 4th grader at Garden Ridge Elementary in Comal County. I am researching fire resistant plants. Can you please tell me if most plants' tags say whether they are fire r...
view the full question and answer
Can plants in the same genus cross-pollinate?
March 27, 2009 - Can you cross-pollinate plants from the same genus?
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |