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A remarkable fossil of a plant known as Othniophyton elongatum, which translates to “alien plant,” has been discovered in the Utah desert, leaving scientists baffled. This prehistoric species, which lived 47 million years ago, is not related to any known plant family, either modern or extinct. The findings have raised important questions about how prehistoric plants are classified.
The Mysterious Fossil That Doesn’t Fit
The fossil, identified as Othniophyton elongatum, was studied in great detail by scientists who found that it didn’t belong to any of the 400 modern or extinct plant families they were familiar with. Despite extensive analysis, the plant could not be classified within any known family, leaving researchers with more questions than answers.
The study has raised concerns about how prehistoric plants are categorized. Often, species that went extinct less than 65 million years ago are placed in categories that belong to modern families. However, Othniophyton elongatum might have belonged to a family that no longer exists today. Researchers argue that this discovery shows how important it is not to force ancient plants into the categories of present-day plants, as it may lead to misleading conclusions.
Discovery of Othniophyton elongatum in Utah
The journey of uncovering this plant’s mystery began back in 1969. Paleontologists working in the Green River Formation, near the ghost town of Rainbow, Utah, discovered an unusual fossil that they couldn’t identify. They named the plant Othniophyton elongatum, or the “alien plant,” as it was unlike anything they had seen before. They even speculated that it might be related to ginseng.
A Fresh Fossil Leads to More Questions
Fast forward fifty years, and Steven Manchester, the curator of paleobotany at the Florida Museum of Natural History, came across a fossil from the same area while browsing the University of California, Berkeley’s botany collection. The fossil was much better preserved than the original one discovered in 1969, which allowed Manchester and his team to conduct a more detailed study.
Upon closer examination, they concluded that this newly found fossil and the 1969 specimen were from the same plant species. The researchers were hopeful that the better-preserved fossil would help them identify which botanical family Othniophyton elongatum belonged to, but their analysis left them even more confused.
No Matches to Modern or Extinct Plant Families
The researchers couldn’t find any match for the fossil among the 400 modern flowering plant families. Additionally, the fossil didn’t correspond to any known extinct plants either. According to the study, the plant’s combination of unique features didn’t fit any existing families or genera.
“The distinctive combination of observed features does not coincide with any extant family… and cannot readily be placed in modern families and genera,” the researchers noted in their study, which was published in the Annals of Botany journal.
