FOSSIL FIND IN CALIFORNIA SHAKES UP THE NATURAL HISTORY OF CYCAD PLANTS
Cycads, a group of gymnosperms that can resemble miniature palm trees (like the popular sago palm houseplant), were long thought to be “living fossils,” a group that had evolved minimally since the time of the dinosaurs. Now, a well-preserved 80-million-year-old pollen cone discovered in California has rewritten scientific understanding of the plants. The findings are detailed in a paper by two University of Kansas paleobotanists just published in the journal New Phytologist.