Scientists have identified one of the earliest flowering plants on Earth. Montsechia vidalii likely lived and reproduced below water. The discovery of the 130-million-year-old fossil suggests aquatic plants were common in the evolution of flowering plants, and that aquatic habitats facilitated their diversification.
Photo credit: Gomez et al., 2015/PNAS | Illustration: O. Sanisidro, B.G., and V.D.-G., PNAS
