Evidence of Ancient Floral Diversity 140 Million Years Ago,
Jordanian amber continues to reveal extraordinary insights into the ancient ecosystems that once flourished in the region.
اضافة اعلان
Among the most remarkable discoveries is a fossilized flower preserved inside Jordanian amber, dating back approximately 140 million years to the Early Cretaceous period.
This delicate flower represents direct evidence of early flowering plants that lived alongside dinosaurs. Its preservation within amber is exceptionally rare, as flowers are fragile structures that normally decay rapidly and are seldom fossilized. Amber, formed from fossilized tree resin, provided a unique natural capsule that protected the flower in three dimensions, preserving fine morphological details such as petals, floral symmetry, and structural organization.
The discovery confirms that Jordan was once home to a highly diverse and complex plant ecosystem, including flowering plants, ferns, cycads, and coniferous trees. The presence of such a flower in amber demonstrates that early angiosperms had already begun to diversify and adapt to different ecological niches in the region.
This fossil flower also supports previous research showing that Jordanian amber contains a wide range of biological inclusions, including insects, plant tissues, pollen, and feathers. Together, these findings indicate that the environment of ancient Jordan was humid, forested, and biologically rich—ideal conditions for resin production and amber formation.
The study of this flower not only enhances our understanding of plant evolution in the Middle East but also places Jordanian amber among the most important amber deposits worldwide. It serves as a valuable scientific archive documenting life on Earth during a critical stage in the evolution of flowering plants.
Jordanian amber thus represents a unique natural heritage and a significant contribution to global paleobotanical and paleoecological research.
The picture shows a fossilized flower preserved inside Jordanian amber.
