Ancient Flowering Plant - Asterid

Ancient Flowering Plant - Asterid

Ancient Flowering Plant Was Beautiful But Probably Poisonous
Science Related News

Researchers today announced the discovery of the first-ever fossil specimens of an 'asterid' -- a family of flowering plants that gave us everything from the potatoes to petunias and our morning cup of coffee. But these two 20-30 million-year-old fossil flowers, found perfectly preserved in a piece of amber, came from the dark side of the asterid family -- they belong to the genus Strychnos, which ultimately gave rise to some of the world's most famous poisons, including strychnine and curare.
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