Carnivorous Plant Fossils

Carnivorous Plant Fossils

Though there is debate among archeobotanists, the oldest carnivorous plant fossil may well be Archaeamphora longicervia, found in 2005 near Jinzhou, China. It is from the Early Cretaceous beds of the Yixian Formation, and is dated at 124.6 million years ago. Nine specimens have been found. Dr. Hongqi Li of Frostburg University notes the presence of pitcher shaped leaves, a tubular base, a phyllodia-like wing, a hood and rows of glands inside the leaves.

Also consider, researchers from the University of Göttingen in Germany have found two leaves of an amber embedded fossil that is has a striking resemblence to Roridula. Like the modern plant, the fossils posseses multicellular stalked glands (tentacles). The Eocene baltic amber is 35-37 million years old, and comes from the amber mine near Kaliningrad, Russia. Carnivorous plants can still be found in this same region today. Miocene fossils of Aldrovanda inopinata leaves and seeds, six millions years old, have been discovered in Wackersdorf, Germany.